Sweeter Far Than Flowing Honey
by Enthusiastic Fish
Summary: Written for the NFA Captivating Kate challenge. An AU look at how the characters of NCIS might have progressed had Kate not died in Twilight. Ari never finished his revenge. Now, he's back to do just that. There is a sequel to this story called Having New Eyes.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is a story written for the NFA Captivating Kate Challenge. I have said before that I'll never do Kate surviving _Twilight_, but I have now done so. The requirements of this challenge were to write a story about Kate in which she did not die. Thus, I have created my own sequence of events for the end of _Twilight_. It requires only one other figure. This story does feature Kate, but it has the entire team...including Ziva and Vance. It's more of a look into how the characters might have progressed given Kate's survival. So, I hope you enjoy this journey in the world of AU.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own NCIS and I'm not making any money off it. Any recognizable dialogue belongs to DPB and I am using it only for canon concerns.

* * *

**Sweeter Far than Flowing Honey  
**by Enthusiastic Fish

**Prologue**

_Ari ran across the rooftop to the end and quickly began setting up his rifle. It was easily done and with all the distractions on the roof across the way, no one would notice anyone else. He watched as the younger agent was trying to stop his missile. He drew a bead on him...and then was forced to stop when one of the other men began firing. He settled for destroying the electronics instead. After all, that man wasn't the one he wanted._

_He lifted his sights to the scene on the roof. He watched as the lovely Caitlin took a bullet for Gibbs. Then, the final terrorist was killed and everything seemed to be over. It was the perfect time. He took aim at Gibbs...and then paused. Why kill him now? Everything would be over if Gibbs died now. He smiled grimly as he watched Kate smile at her comrades. Yes. That would be perfect._

"_Sorry, Caitlin," he said softly to her distant image and aimed._

"_Not as sorry as you will be, Ari, if you attempt to pull that trigger now."_

_Ari froze but forced himself to smile. "Ziva. I had wondered who would be sent to kill me."_

"_Why are you doing this, Ari? This is not right. These people are on _our_ side! What are you doing?"_

"_Ziva, you should turn around and go."_

"_I cannot allow you to kill innocent people, Ari. Please...do not make me kill you."_

"_Do you think you could?"_

"_If you force me, Ari. I will. Please, do not make this necessary."_

"_You would kill your brother for them?"_

"_You are not acting like my brother. My brother would not kill innocent people, people who are trying to stop the slaughter of good men and women."_

_He could see them through the sights. They were still standing there, laughing in the relieved way people did when they had narrowly escaped death._

"_Ari, stop this. I love you, my brother, but you must stop."_

_They were moving too much now. He could still take the shot, but it would be too difficult._

"_Very well, Ziva."_

"_You must come back home."_

_Ari stood up and turned around, towering over his little sister. "Israel is not my home, sister. It is my prison...and neither you nor anyone else will take me there."_

_In an instant it was over. Ziva lay sprawled on the rooftop, unconscious from the swift vicious blow Ari had dealt her. He looked back toward the distant building, toward the man he loathed so deeply. It would be easy to end it now...but he would not allow Ziva to take the fall for his crime. He couldn't do that to his sister, even if the only blood they shared was through his hated father._

_Quickly, Ari gathered his gun and retreated, leaving his sister bleeding and unconscious on the rooftop._

_There would be time enough for his revenge._

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Three years later..._

Kate opened her eyes and sat up quickly, breathing deeply as the last vestiges of her old nightmare faded away. She didn't know why it kept happening. It was a dream of something that had never happened...of a time years in the past...but it seemed so real every single time.

Ari, aiming a gun right at her head...and pulling the trigger. With a sigh, she pulled herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, she could almost see the bullethole in the middle of her forehead. Closing her eyes, she rebuked herself soundly.

"It's just a dream, idiot. Get over it. It never happened. Ari is long gone. Long, _long_ gone."

Gone he was, but Kate had proved to herself many times over that he wasn't yet forgotten.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"And where is the charming Miss Todd?" Tony asked.

There was no response to his query...so he crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at the other occupant of the bullpen.

"Yo, McGee...where's Kate?"

"How should _I_ know, Tony?" Tim asked, without looking up. "You're the one that has to know everyone's every move. Some of us have better things to do than be nosy."

"I've seen you watching Kate, Probie," Tony said, leering. "You only _wish_ you knew her every move...every sway...wishing that you could caress her..."

Tim flushed but didn't respond.

"DiNozzo, if you keep going like that, I will have to kill you."

Tony turned around, grinning lewdly. "Why would that be, Agent Todd?"

Kate smiled sweetly. "Because you could make picking up the newspaper sound vulgar, Tony...and I don't want to fill out the paperwork that would be required when I tore you limb from limb. That's why." Then, she walked over to her desk and set her bag down.

"Wow, _someone_ got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Don't you think, McGee?"

Tim was staring at Kate appraisingly and didn't answer.

"Hey, McStoner!"

"What, Tony?"

"Don't you think Kate's a little grouchy today?"

Tim looked at Kate again...and she made the mistake of making eye contact.

"No. You all right, Kate?" he asked.

"I'm fine, McGee."

"You seem a little off, though."

Kate sighed and looked at the two of them. Tim, as usual, did look sincerely concerned, but she was surprised to see a _lack_ of leering on Tony's part.

"You won't treat this like a joke?"

"No, of course not," Tim said.

"DiNozzo?"

Tony crossed his heart and held up his fingers in a mock salute, although his face remained free of his usual teasing expression. "Okay. Sure."

"...and don't tell Gibbs."

"Gibbs? Why not?"

"Just promise me you won't tell him."

"As long as he doesn't ask," Tony said. "No way am I outright lying to the boss. He'll know."

Kate sighed. "Okay. Remember Ari?"

Tony and Tim exchanged glances.

"Yes, _that_ Ari. I've been...having these dreams about him lately...and if you make a sex joke right now, Tony, I promise that I really _will _kill you."

Tony raised his hands in mute capitulation.

"What are the dreams, then?" Tim asked.

"Him killing me...shooting me in the head."

Not even Tony looked tempted to make a joke about that.

"I keep having these dreams. They've been getting worse over the last few weeks."

"It _is_ coming up on the anniversary of him going after Gibbs," Tony said.

"Yeah...maybe it's just remembering that. It was pretty stressful," Tim said.

"I don't know. My dreams don't have Gibbs in them. Just him...with a sniper rifle, ready to kill me."

"You think Ari is coming back?"

"He shot out the computer equipment, McGee...but for some reason, he didn't shoot you or me or Tony or even Gibbs...who was apparently his target." She looked around to see if Gibbs was approaching. "Ari Haswari is not the kind of man who leaves tasks undone...unless he's dead himself...and we've had no indication that he is."

"So...you think he'll try again?" Tim asked.

"I know he will. I just don't know when. Ari doesn't give up. That's not who he is...and I unfortunately know that all too well."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ziva strode angrily into her father's office.

"Hadar just informed me that Ari has been spotted!"

Eli looked up at her calmly. "Yes, it is true. We have evidence of a location for him."

"Why was _I_ not told by you? I am his control officer. _I_ am the one who has been searching for him for the last three years! Why did you hide this information from me?"

"Is that what you really want? Are you certain you are trying to find him, Ziva?"

"Of course, I am, Father. Why would you think otherwise?"

"He is your brother. You have made no progress in the last three years."

"He is _your_ son," Ziva retorted. "You seem to have no trouble ordering his death. Why would you think I would have a problem fulfilling your orders? Have I ever disobeyed?"

"Tell me, Ziva...if you were confronted with your brother, unarmed and unsuspecting, would you kill him?"

Ziva felt her anger falter just a moment, and she knew that Eli noticed. ...but she suppressed the momentary feeling. It had no place in Mossad. "He is no longer my brother. My brother would not have attempted to murder innocent people...as I saw him ready to do on that rooftop. My brother never had such a look in his eyes as I saw there. My brother did not hate so much. My brother is already dead. Ari must be stopped...but it must be _me_ who does it!"

"Why?"

"Because Ari is _my_ responsibility. I missed his change in loyalties. His betrayal reflects on my position as his control officer." Ziva stared at the floor. "Please, Father. I must find him...and stop him."

"Even if that requires his death?"

Ziva raised her head and stared her father in the eye, not flinching. "I will kill him myself. No one's hand will take his life but mine."

Eli maintained eye contact. Ziva knew that this was not out of a question of her ability. He wanted to be sure that she really _would_ kill Ari. She knew that, but she resented it all the same.

"Very well, Ziva. You will be on a plane for the United States tonight. This is the file you will need." He handed her a folder.

Ziva opened it and looked up. "This is the file _I_ compiled for Ari on his last mission."

"Yes, it is."

"He is in DC?"

"If he is not already there, he will be soon."

"Why? Why would he return there?"

"To finish the job he began."

"He is going to kill this Agent Gibbs?"

"That is what we suspect. You will go and warn them. ...and you will stop Ari from succeeding."

"How do you wish me to proceed?" Ziva asked, looking at the file. "Do you wish me to tell them?"

"Yes." His tone became ironic. "I would not wish our American friends to think that Israel operates without their knowledge on their own soil."

Ziva smiled faintly and nodded. "Very well. I will prepare to leave now. Is there anything else I should be told?"

"You will learn what is required of you...when it is necessary."

"Very well."

"Will you tell Michael?"

"Michael may learn of his own accord."

"He is a close friend."

"And I know _why_ he has been so close. Being with me will not redeem him."

There was no response to that particular dig. Ziva straightened almost to attention and then walked out of the office, still holding the file in her hand...not that she needed it. She remembered all the information she had gathered on these people and she did not need the reminder of who they were. What she now had to decide was whether or not she would break her silence on what she had heard. Ari had not been aiming at Gibbs when she had found him. It was not Gibbs who had been about to die. It had been the woman, Kate. Ari had spoken of her in his reports before his betrayal. He had even seemed attracted to her...and that was the one he had planned on murdering. She wished she understood _why_ because she did not know why Ari had decided the join with the people Mossad had been fighting all her life.

When had her brother become her enemy?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Finally, after all this time, after three years. Finally, he had the chance to finish what he had begun, the destruction had to be slow, agonizing. It had to be that way because that was what he deserved.

Ari got on his motorcycle and revved the engine, drawing admiring looks from the women at the gas station. He always could get the girls when he wanted them. They were always taken in. He put on a little show for the vapid American women...and he took note of the one who was totally ignoring him. There were a few like that. Not many, but a few.

Involuntarily, he thought of Kate, not as he had last seen her in person...but as she had looked through his scope when he had been ready to begin his plan. He remembered her smiling and laughing. He could so easily imagine a small circular hole in the middle of her forehead, the back of her head blown out from the impact of the bullet. It wasn't that he actually _wanted_ to kill her, not exactly...but she had to die. It was the way the plan was going to work. Gibbs would be last, of course, but Kate would be first.

...or rather, she'd be the first of the team to die. There would be others that would fall before she would. He wondered how long it would take before they figured out what was about to happen to them. The thought of Gibbs trying to protect his team, trying to be the hero...and failing brought a smile to his lips, even though, covered as it was by a helmet, no one could see the expression.

He thought of his first victim and, as he shifted the motorcycle into a higher gear, he repeated the words he had first uttered back when his sister had stopped him.

"Sorry, Caitlin."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The woman was unloading groceries from her car. She had no idea she was about to die. He watched her through the scope as she checked her watch and struggled to gather all her bags.

He smiled.

Aimed.

Pulled the trigger.

She fell.

He let the casing fall to the ground.

In less than a minute, he was disappearing into the ether.

"Good-bye...Katelyn."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Victim is..." Kate paused in surprise. "Lt. Katelyn Dobbs, officer in the Navy. Weird. What are the odds?"

"Like your name. You're investigating your own murder, Kate," Tony said. "Spooky."

_Thwack!_

"Back to work, DiNozzo."

"Right. Single round to the head. Execution style."

"A sniper," Tim said from his position on the ground.

"Bullet?"

"It's a Lapua .308," Tony reported, holding it up. "Found it buried in the ground back there."

Gibbs stopped and looked back. "A Lapua?"

"That's what the label says."

Tim also stood up. "Really?"

"Hey, guys, what's with the questions? I'm not illiterate and my eyesight is just fine."

Kate swallowed. "That's the same kind of bullet you used, Gibbs."

"And it's the same kind Ari fired at me," Tim said softly.

Tony looked at him. "You remember that?"

"Tony, a sniper fired a bullet at me and would have killed me if another terrorist hadn't been shooting at me, too. He almost killed me and saved me at the same time. Don't you think that just _maybe_ I might remember that a little bit?" he snapped. He took a breath. "Sorry."

"McGee, you and Kate see if you can find the nest," Gibbs ordered. "Calculate the trajectory and then track it down."

"On it, Boss," Tim said and headed over to the place where the bullet had been discovered and knelt in the grass.

"You think he's okay doing that, Boss?" Tony asked.

"He's fine. Just blowing off some steam. ...but keep an eye on him, Kate, got it?"

Kate nodded. "Of course. I'd rather be doing that than staring at my namesake anyway. It's kind of weird. ...not as weird as my doppelganger, but still..." She walked over beside Tim and knelt down, a hand discretely on his back as she coordinated their search.

Gibbs looked at Lt. Dobbs. She was on extended leave. Her husband was in the house, sobbing, wondering what he was going to tell their children. ...meanwhile, Ducky was just arriving, berating Jimmy in a loud voice for getting them lost.

"You had the map, Doctor!"

"You weren't listening to my instructions! They were quite clear!"

"Ducky!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jethro. I do apologize for our tardiness."

"Just get going."

"What's the rush?"

"We need to get her back to NCIS and out of here as soon as we can. It's just not the right time to deal with all this."

"Well, who is my new guest?"

"Lt. Katelyn Dobbs."

"Katelyn, really?"

"Yeah. Different spelling, though."

"I see. Well, cause of death seems obvious."

"Time?"

"Probably easy enough to determine based on witness statements but..." He stuck in the liver probe. "Only three hours ago. Very well. Let's get her home, Mr. Palmer."

"Yes, Doctor."

Gibbs watched as Lt. Dobbs was loaded into a bodybag and taken away. His gut was telling him something. He just didn't know what it was yet.

"Boss?"

"What, Tony?"

"You don't believe in coincidences."

"No."

"Her name... Lt. Dobbs' husband called her Kate."

"Yeah. I'm going to go and talk to him. You finish up out here. Don't miss anything."

"Right." Tony went back to work, but he paused for a moment and looked over at Kate. She seemed a bit off, too. Tim was the most upset by the case, but even he was just more on edge than he had been before. It was probably a combination of the sniper and the anniversary. When they'd realized that Ari had probably been trying to kill him, Tim had been shocked. He'd never been targeted before and it frightened him, although he'd tried to hide it.

"No such thing as coincidences," Tony muttered and headed over to the witness who had called in the murder.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"You ready to take a walk, Tim?" Kate asked.

"Sure. Love to." Tim stood and gallantly held out his arm. Kate laughed and took it.

They began following the angle of the bullet.

"He was probably up on a roof somewhere nearby," Tim said.

"Yeah, he'd have to be. No other way to stay out of sight, not in this area."

Tim pointed to a low-rise apartment building. "What about that?"

It was in range, although just on the edge of it...but it was the right height.

"Let's check it out. Nothing to lose but time."

They walked to the building, got permission to go to the roof and split up to check it.

"Clear!" Tim called from one end.

"Clear!" Kate replied. "There's no one here."

"But there was," Tim answered. "Look." He pointed at the ground on the side of the roof facing their crime scene.

Kate walked over and saw the shell casing. Only one.

"Lapua .308," Tim said, putting on gloves. "I think we found our nest."

"You all right, Tim?" Kate asked, kneeling beside him again.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. It's just the time of year, I think. It's nothing else. It really shouldn't bug me at all. It's not like I even got a scratch." He laughed and bagged the casing.

"You had someone trying to kill you, Tim. That's nothing to laugh off."

"He missed. Both of them did." He cleared his throat and looked around, pulling the camera from his neck. "Better me than you anyway. You took a bullet for Gibbs. That's enough."

Kate debated trying to draw Tim out more, but decided against it...for now. Obviously, he was still bothered by Ari's attempt to kill him, even three years after the fact. Well, they'd _all_ been worried about it in the beginning. They knew that Tim had been specifically targeted and figured it was because he was the new guy, the greenie, the one with the least experience, and thus was like the baby brother who was supposed to be kept safe by the older siblings.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ziva walked into NCIS Headquarters and up the stairs, forgoing the elevator. The bullpen where she had expected to find a team was empty. These were the people she needed to speak to; so she perched on one of the nearby desks to wait. Meanwhile, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

"_Deputy Director Jenny Shephard."_

"Jen."

"_Ziva! What an unexpected pleasure. You're stateside?"_

"Yes. Just arrived in Washington DC."

"_I'm afraid that I won't be able to spare any time to see you. I'm attending a special conference in Los Angeles. I hop around quite a bit since my promotion."_

Ziva smiled. "I thought you were going to become Director, not Deputy Director."

"_Oh, give me time. I guess they decided that the world wasn't ready for a female director yet. Director Vance is very good at his job. He was appointed just last year."_

Jenny's tone was light but there was something she was holding back. "There is something else, yes?"

"_Yes, Ziva, but now is not the time to talk about it. Perhaps later, when we both are free. You're in DC on business, I assume?"_

"Yes. With NCIS, actually."

"_Interesting. Anything you can talk about?"_

"Ari."

Jenny was silent for a long moment. _"I see. I'm sorry, Ziva."_

"He is a traitor and a murderer. There is no need to express regret."

"_Oh, my meeting is starting. Ziva..."_

"We will speak later, Jen. Shalom."

"_Shalom, Ziva."_

Ziva hung up and sighed. Shalom. There was not much peace that she could anticipate being in her future...not until she understood why Ari had betrayed her...had _attacked_ her. They had always been close, but she had not expected his treachery, his cruelty. What had happened to the brother who had comforted her when Tali died? She had seen nothing of the warmth in his eyes on that rooftop. His eyes were dead, cold.

"Excuse me, but you're sitting on my desk."

Ziva looked back over her shoulder. "Ah, Agent Todd."

"How do you know who I am?" she asked.

Ziva gave her due appraisal. There was immediate suspicion, but she could also see why Ari had been drawn to her. There was a willingness to trust even behind the skepticism. Kate Todd was a person who wanted to trust everyone and had to fight against that instinct every day.

"I am looking for Agent Gibbs."

"Who are you?"

"Ziva David, Mossad."

"Mossad?"

Ziva looked at the new contributor to the conversation. He was taller, dark hair.

"Yes, Agent DiNozzo. I am here to speak with Agent Gibbs. When will he arrive?"

"What is Mossad doing here, Officer David?"

Ziva smiled as she saw the next arrival. "Agent Gibbs. I have a message from the director of Mossad. May I speak with you in private? This is not something that needs to be heard by the entire building."

"Kate, grab McGee and bring him to the conference room. DiNozzo. Come on."

"This message is for you," Ziva said.

"A message for me from Mossad will affect my team. Members of my team have nearly been killed by members of Mossad. It's either that or you give your message right here and now."

Ziva nodded. "Very well. Does your director need to be here as well?"

"I'll decide after you give your message."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"How do you know who we all are?" Tony asked, once they were all settled in chairs.

"I was Ari Haswari's control officer. I compiled the dossiers he used. I know all about you."

Tim looked at her more closely. "You're the one who told us about him before."

"Yes. I made the initial report of his betrayal."

"Is he back?"

"Yes. We believe so."

Gibbs looked at Tim who had managed not to react to the news, except in his eyes. He was afraid...and with reason. It was frightening to know that the man who had inexplicably tried to kill you was back again.

"What is he doing this time?"

"The same thing he was doing before, based on our reports."

"Last time, you thought he was trying to kill me and he didn't. He shot at Agent McGee."

"He may have lost the opportunity," Ziva said.

"Ari wouldn't just 'lose the opportunity'," Kate said. "He's too careful for that. What stopped him? Who?" She stared at Ziva for a few seconds. "It was you who stopped him. That's how you knew what he was doing."

Ziva inclined her head slightly but said nothing.

"Is there anything else, Officer David?" Gibbs asked.

"I will be searching for him, but all our intel puts him in the DC area with the intention of trying to kill you."

"And what will _you_ do if you find him?"

"_When_ I find Ari, I will kill him."

Kate met Gibbs' gaze and she had something to say but wasn't saying it.

"Is there anything we can do?" Tim asked.

"If I need your help, I will ask for it. I have relayed the message. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No. Thank you, Officer David."

Ziva stood and nodded to them. "I would recommend taking precautions. We do not know his exact whereabouts, nor how he plans on executing his plan."

"Thank you."

"I know my own way out." She walked out the door.

"There's something she's holding back," Kate said.

"She's Mossad," Tony retorted. "They never tell everything they know."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was hard to know how to react to the news of someone coming to commit murder. Knowing both the culprit and the intended victim didn't really make it any easier. Gibbs made it more difficult by refusing protection, just as he had before.

Vance had been apprised of the threat and he had agreed to allow them to leave, provided they all accepted protection. Gibbs had resisted, but Vance forced the issue and only compromised by allowing the protective detail to be outside, rather than inside the house.

Kate noticed Tim still sitting at his desk that evening and she nudged Tony.

"What?"

"Tim," she said and walked back toward the bullpen.

"Hey, McGee! Time to go!"

"I'll be a little longer. You guys can go," Tim said without raising his eyes from his monitor.

"Tim, the case can wait until tomorrow."

"I know. I need to finish a few things before I leave. Go on."

Kate walked around the desk. "Tim."

Tim stopped the pretense of working and stared at his keyboard. "He didn't try to kill you. It's different."

Tony leaned forward. "Hey, maybe he just mistook you for Gibbs, Probie."

"This isn't a joke, Tony. It's not a joke. It's not funny. The only reason I'm not dead is because someone else was shooting at me, too. Ari was aiming at _me_...and we don't even know why."

"It could have been because you had the computer and he needed to take it out, Tim," Kate said. "It doesn't have to be because of you specifically."

Tim looked up at her. "We all know that's not true. Ari was supposed to be after Gibbs, but it wasn't Gibbs he tried to kill. It was me. Why not one of you?"

"Thanks, Probie."

"You know what I mean, Tony," Tim said. "If it was to hurt Gibbs...then, why me?"

"You are the youngest."

"Why not Kate?"

Kate smiled. "Thanks, Tim. I appreciate that. ...but I know what you mean. There certainly were plenty of chances for me...and for Tony...and for Gibbs."

Tim suddenly stood up and looked at them. "Ari's back."

"Yeah, we know."

"No...you don't get it. Ari's back. When he shot at me, he used Lapua .308s. It was three years ago that it happened. That woman today. Her name was Kate. It was a Lapua .308 used to kill her!" Tim's eyes were wide.

"Come on, Probie...that's a heck of a coincidence."

"Gibbs doesn't believe in coincidences."

"Why kill Lt. Dobbs?"

"Her name is Kate."

Kate looked at Tim in surprise. "You think he killed her because of her name? Come on, McGee, that's a stretch even for someone wanting vengeance like Ari."

"Gibbs said back when Ari shot at us..."

"What?"

"That Ari had probably used a specific rifle when he fired those .308s. A Bravo 51 because that's what he used."

"And?"

Kate answered. "And a Bravo 51 is a called a 'Kate' by snipers." She looked at Tony. "What if Tim's right?

"Ari's not just taking out Gibbs," Tim said.

"He's going to go after all of us."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ari smiled. Tom McKay.

He was just leaving the bar.

He didn't make it to the sidewalk.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Petty Officer Thomas McKay," Tim said. "Due to be deployed in two weeks."

"Tom McKay?" Kate asked.

Tim nodded.

Gibbs said nothing. When Tim had presented his theory, he had privately thought it had merit but hadn't committed himself to agreement. There were many other possibilities, but now with this new victim. Again with a name similar to one of his team. It was hard to pretend that it was one of the coincidences he didn't believe in.

"Same m.o.," Tony said. "Single round to the head."

"We haven't found the bullet yet, but it probably had a full metal jacket...just like the last one," Kate added.

"Just like the first time," Tim said softly, staring down at the dead man.

"McGee, it's still just a..."

"Just a theory...but it's being supported by the evidence."

"Ducky?"

"Yes, liver temperature places the time of death at five hours ago."

"Remember the panic from the DC sniper a couple of years ago?" Tony asked.

"Don't even _think_ that, Tony," Gibbs said. "We don't need that kind of rumor."

"Maybe we should start looking for members of the Navy with names similar to Tony's," Tim said, unable to look away. The petty officer looked nothing like him...but the fact remained that he had likely been killed because of his name.

Kate raised her eyebrows at Gibbs who nodded. She grabbed his arm. "Hey, Tim, come on."

"You and Kate go back and see if you can find someone like that."

Tim nodded. "Yeah, Boss." He lingered, however...until Kate physically yanked him toward the car.

Gibbs stared after them. Tim was a lot more disturbed by all this than anyone else. In fact, something about Ari's shots at him had unnerved Tim to a degree that still surprised Gibbs. Tim hadn't shown any type of lingering difficulty...until now. Now, it was becoming an issue, affecting his work...and that was a problem.

"Boss?"

"Yeah. Let's finish up here, Tony."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate drove them back to Headquarters. Tim was silent.

"Tim, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Tim. Don't pretend. You're not very good at it."

Tim stared out the windshield. "Any moment now, a bullet could come flying in here. You and I are the first targets. If he took you out, we'd crash and I could die, too."

"Hey, Tim, come on, snap out of it. There's no reason to think like that."

"Isn't there?" Tim sighed. "I can't stop thinking about it. Sometimes, I have nightmares about it."

"I told you that I was too."

"But I never stopped," Tim said softly.

"What?" Kate took her eyes off the road for a moment.

"I've been having nightmares about Ari ever since he... We never knew why he gave up. I kept expecting him to come back. I know it's stupid and wussy of me, but I can't help it, Kate. I've never had someone try to kill me...and especially not because of someone else. Ari wants revenge on Gibbs for something. We're just collateral damage. Doesn't that _bother_ you?"

"Of course it does. It bothers me like it bothers anyone who could be a target for a psycho, but Tim, remember what I told you before the whole thing with Ari started?"

"What? That Tony told all the women in the building that I was gay?"

Kate laughed. "No. The part where I said that, as federal agents, we run the risk of being killed every time we walk through the door."

"Yeah, I remember that."

"It's still true. It's always been true, and it always will be. It doesn't matter if it's Ari gunning for us or some nameless criminal or psycho who comes our way."

"Aren't you scared, Kate?" Tim asked.

"Are you?"

"Yeah. I'm terrified. ...and I think Gibbs can tell. Why else would he have sent me back to Headquarters to run a search Abby could run with her eyes closed?"

"Because you're really good at it. ...but you're right. Tim, this is affecting you. You're going to have to find some way of dealing with it. You've been an agent now for years. You know what the price could be. What about Archer, Benedict? Landon? Why is Ari the one who scares you so much?"

"I don't know." Tim avoided her eyes.

"Why, Tim?"

Tim was quiet for a long time.

"Tim?"

"It's because I don't know why he picked me," Tim said finally.

"Why does that matter?"

"Maybe it shouldn't, but it does. Archer, Benedict, Landon...I knew why with them. Ari...it just doesn't make any sense. I never even _saw_ him in person. Not once. He abducted you, took you hostage, shot Gibbs, threatened him...but he shot at _me_, not at anyone else. It just doesn't make any sense to me. ...and I have to be able to understand it."

They reached the Yard and were passed in by the guard. Kate steered the sedan to its parking space.

As they walked into Headquarters, Kate paused for a moment.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to understand it, but if it's keeping you from doing your job, then it's time to put it aside...particularly when other people's lives depend on you."

"Yeah..." Tim nodded and walked ahead of her.

Kate followed him, hoping that this might have helped a little bit. As the door closed behind her, she looked back. She could hardly reveal her own worries about her judgment when it came to Ari, not to Tim...and certainly not to Tony or Gibbs. Abby would only worry. She felt that she needed someone to confide in, but right now, it would make better sense to keep her problems to herself.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

There was nothing of Ari left on the rooftop. Ziva knew that he had left behind a casing from the bullet he had fired...just as he had on the rooftop three years ago. She walked to the place where he had killed a total stranger, another innocent.

"Ari, what happened to you?" she asked softly, staring at the distant target.

After a few minutes, she refocused on the task of finding and killing the traitor. Her brother.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"This is so crazy! Way beyond hinky," Abby said, staring over Tim's shoulder as he set up new search parameters. "Why would someone kill people because they had names like yours?"

"Because he's crazy, Abbs," Tim mumbled.

"Any luck?"

"No. There are just too many variants of Tony's name. The guy today was Tom McKay. It's only the same if you know you're looking for it."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, Tim."

"It's not a coincidence," Tim said.

"If you say so, it's not. Have you narrowed it down by proximity to DC?"

"Yeah, I have, Abby. That was the first thing I did...but I don't know if we can exclude females of the same name, which opens up a whole other bag of worms...or if we should be excluding people based on the fact that the last names aren't the same. Do we focus only on enlisted personnel or officers or do we need to worry about the secretaries or the musicians or the..."

"Whoa! Tim! Calm down!" Abby grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "You need to take a break."

Tim slumped. "No. It's not a break I need, Abby. I need to toughen up. I'm acting like a child scared of the dark."

Abby moved into the hugging stage. "No, Tim. You just need to calm down. That's all. Ari's scary. _I'm_ scared and I've never seen the guy. He's so...so...callous."

"He's worse...because even if the others aren't completely convinced, I _know_ he's the one killing those people...and he's doing it to send _us_ a message."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was evening, and the team began to leave, accompanied by their protection detail. A warning had been given to all Navy personnel about the possibility of someone being targeted on the basis of their name. This included all Tonys, Anthonys, Tonis, Antonettes, Antonys, Antoines, and any other variant.

Unfortunately, retired Marine Antoine DiNardo didn't get the message. ...and even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to stop the bullet.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Agent Todd."

Kate stopped cold and turned around. "Yes, Officer David."

"I apologize for disturbing you. May we speak?"

Kate hesitated but then nodded. "Yes. Please, come in." She waved to the agent on duty and gestured toward her front door.

Inside, she played the hostess and invited Ziva to sit on her couch, asked her if she wanted anything, before sitting down herself.

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew where I live. I know my address isn't listed...but I'll get straight to the point. What brings you here, Officer David?"

"I would like to speak to you."

"About what in particular?" Kate asked, wondering what could be bringing Ziva to her door.

"Ari Haswari."

"What about him?"

"What is your relationship to him?"

Kate stiffened. "I'm sorry?"

"He was rather obsessed with you. What was your relationship?"

Kate forced a laugh. "We didn't _have_ a relationship, Officer David. The first time we were in proximity to each other, he shot the ME's assistant, took me hostage and then shot Gibbs. The second time we were in the same place, his cronies abducted me, hit me and tried to get me to reveal information about the whereabouts of the President of the United States. The _third_ time we were anywhere near each other, he threatened to kill my boss and then nearly killed one of my teammates. That's not exactly what I would describe as a _relationship_."

"And yet, when you had the chance to kill him, you did not."

"I was taken in," Kate said, keeping herself from flushing only with great effort. "I knew better after the first time."

"He felt differently about you."

Kate felt her cheeks growing warm. "That doesn't mean it has to be a mutual feeling."

"No," Ziva said. "I am simply trying to understand. He wanted to kill Agent Gibbs, but it is you who really occupied much of his thoughts."

"How will this help?"

"It is important to figure out how he is thinking. That includes the people he will be targeting."

"And he is targeting me?"

"You doubt it?"

"No...but he didn't shoot me when he had the chance. He did try to murder Agent McGee. Why would you think I am his focus?"

"The weapon he used."

"That's not enough," Kate said. "You're not telling me everything. Who is Ari to you?"

"I do not understand." ...but Ziva's expression flickered slightly.

Not for nothing was Kate the profiler on the team. "You understand _exactly_ what I mean. You say that Ari is obsessed with me...but I'd like to know what Ari is to you. Do you hate him? Love him? There's more to this than just you doing your job."

"Is this necessary?"

"If you want my help, then I'd better know exactly why _you_ are the one going after him...and it's not just because you were his control officer, either."

"No, you are correct," Ziva said after a moment of silence, staring at her hands. Kate was suddenly struck by the realization that Ziva was significantly younger than she was. "It is more than that. Ari is my brother."

"Your brother?"

"My half-brother."

"Do you know him...well?"

"I thought I did. We were close when we were children. He comforted me when our sister was killed. Our father trained us together. I thought I knew him. I was mistaken. He is a traitor of Mossad, of Israel, and of justice. He attacked me. When I saw him on that rooftop, he was not the man I knew."

"And you're willing to kill him?"

"Yes. He must be stopped...and death is the only way."

"What do you need from me?"

"I need to understand more of his obsession with you."

Kate shifted uncomfortably. "You keep calling it an obsession. I don't know why."

Ziva paused and then seemed to make a decision. "There is something I did not tell you, something I did not report to anyone, not here, not in Israel."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because it concerns you."

"What is it?"

"Ari was going to kill you, not Agent Gibbs."

Kate furrowed her brow. "When?"

"On the rooftop. When I found him, he was aiming at you."

"How could you tell?"

"He said good-bye...to you. He was ready to pull the trigger. He could have killed Agent Gibbs. He would not have missed. He chose to kill you. I do not know why."

Kate felt a deep shock and a small logical part of her figured her feeling was somewhat the same as Tim felt. He had almost been killed...and now she knew that she had come nearer to death than she had ever thought possible. It was different. Tim was right. Knowing how close, how inexplicably close she had been to being killed.

"Me."

"Yes. Do you understand why I must know? Ari targeted you before. I believe he will do so again."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kate found herself feeling as jumpy the next morning as Tim had been the previous day. She was looking over her shoulder repeatedly, wondering when Ari might take another shot at her. No matter what she had said to Tim, she didn't want to die. When she had been with Secret Service, she had felt that there was something to be gained by her possible death. Now, however, after five years away from it, she couldn't help but wonder if she would have jumped in front of Gibbs so unthinkingly if she saw Ari taking that shot.

"Kate!"

Kate jumped and looked up. "Yes, Gibbs?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Gibbs." She met his gaze without flinching, but she knew he wasn't fooled. She had a feeling she'd be going into his "office" sometime that day.

He stared at her for a few seconds before turning his attention to the group at large.

"What do we have?"

"Not much, Boss," Tony said. "There have been no hits on the BOLO. No reported killings of people with names similar to mine. Abby did manage to pull Ari's fingerprints off the casing from the last murder. Same m.o. and it seems way too coincidental that someone else might be doing the same thing at the same time. I hate to say it...but until he tries again..."

Gibbs grunted. "McGee?"

Tim didn't react. His eyes were flicking back and forth, reading something on his screen. It seemed as though he'd gone completely deaf. Those things didn't happen too often anymore, but when they did, getting through to him usually required physical contact.

"Yo, Probie!" Tony called and got up to administer the required physical contact...looking just a bit too happy about it.

Kate rolled her eyes. "For heaven's sake, Tony, you don't need to hit him."

She stood and walked around the desk. Pausing only to elbow Tony in the gut, she headed to Tim's desk.

"Tim," she said, shaking him just a little.

He blinked and looked up. "Yeah?"

"McGee, what have you got?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Boss," Tim said, his voice confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...I got some information, but I don't know why."

"Let me see."

Tim nodded and punched a few keys and sent it to the plasma. What came up was a series of files...passports...belonging to Ari, although none of them had his name. Only his photo.

"Where did you get these, McGee?" Tony asked in surprise.

"From my computer."

"Oh, really?" Tony asked sarcastically. "Amazing."

"No, really," Tim said. "It was in my email this morning. I just was going through it. I haven't had time to find out where it came from."

"How many passports are there?"

"At least ten. Five are British. One is French. Three are American and one is Canadian. I was going to check with the TSA and see if they'd been used recently. ...but I also need to find out who sent them."

"Anything else in that email, McGee?"

"Yeah, Boss." His voice becoming less businesslike, more subdued.

"What?"

"His weapon of choice, Boss. You were right."

"What?"

Tim swallowed and brought it up. A 51 Bravo. Gibbs stood up and walked to the screen, staring silently at the image of the sniper rifle.

"Who sent this, McGee?"

"I.."

"Who _sent_ this?" he spat.

"I don't know, Boss. I'll...I'll find out. Now. Right away." He looked at Kate and then at Tony before jumping up and hurrying to the elevator down to Abby's lab.

"Uh...there's...no sign of a variant of Tony DiNozzo being killed, Boss," Tony offered hesitantly. "I'm still checking on the notices."

"Kate!" Gibbs barked.

"What?"

"What's next?"

"What do you mean?"

"What will he do next?"

"There are a few options, Gibbs."

"Like what?"

"Well, we don't know if he plans on going after the others on the team...say Abby or Ducky...or even Gerald for that matter."

"I almost forgot about Gerald," Tony said.

"He decided that being an ME was too exciting," Kate said. "If Ari's just focusing on the team, then...either he could continue taunting us by killing people with similar names or else..."

"He could move on to the real thing...right?" Tony offered.

"Yeah. ...but Gibbs, my interactions with him can't tell me what he's going to do next. Officer David would be a better source for that information."

"Well, I don't know where she is. Do you?" Gibbs asked angrily.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ziva cast a look back over her shoulder, not that she really thought she'd see anything. She wasn't in danger, but she hoped that Ari was. ...at least, that was what she told herself. Her phone rang.

"Officer David."

"_Hello, little sister."_

Ziva recognized the voice instantly. "I am not your little sister."

"_Such malice. Why would you think that, Ziva?"_

"You gave up that right when you betrayed us, Ari."

"_How did I betray you, Ziva?"_

"When you betray my people, you betray me."

"_Yes, that is true. I suppose that is why you have also betrayed me. You...and all of Israel have betrayed_ my_ people."_

"Israel does not blow up a marketplace full of women and children. Israel does not point at others and say they should all be killed. Hamas does that."

"_No, Israel herds the people it does not like into refugee camps like cattle."_

"It is not so simple as that. Was there something you wished to say to me?"

"_Only that you are looking very well, Ziva. I have missed you."_

Ziva instantly began to look around. She heard a motorcycle, both in the receiver and in the crowd. She headed toward it.

"_I am here to finish a job, Ziva. If you stay out of my way, you will survive. If not, I will kill you. I do not wish that, little sister."_

"I will kill you when I see you, Ari. Do not do this."

"_Then, I suppose that we must be enemies. Just as Israel and Palestine must be enemies, although we are both children of Abraham."_

Ziva pushed her way toward the sound. The bike was closer to her. Ari loved his motorcycles.

"We do not have to be enemies. It is that the Palestinians refuse to make any compromise. They only want to kill. I did not think you were capable of that, Ari."

"_Everyone kills, little sister. That is life. You are trying to get to me...but you won't make it. You never could best me in hide-and-seek."_

Ziva broke through the crowd but the motorcycle was not Ari's. She turned around and around, looking for him.

"_Tell NCIS that they have received their last warning if they can find it. Let the games begin."_

"Ari!" Ziva shouted into the phone. Then, looked through the crowd...to another bike, this one with Ari on it. He smiled at her, flipped down the shield on the helmet and drove away.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Gibbs remained in a foul mood all day long, sniping at everyone, and pushing for results they couldn't seem to find. Tim was desperately trying to find the source of the email while Tony and Kate tracked down the uses of the passports, building up a map of Ari's movements over the past three years. Ari had gripped Gibbs with the same kind of obsession he had fostered three years before, only this time it was affecting everyone else almost as much. Knowing that someone was most likely trying to kill you had a way of putting you on edge. It was after nine when they were finally permitted to leave. Gibbs grumbled about the need for a guard, and the others left, privately grateful that there was one less thing to worry about.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was laundry day, and Kate had decided that threat or not, she wasn't going to go another day without washing her clothes. Begging off any after work socializing, she headed to her apartment and put a couple of loads in the washers in the basement. Then, she headed upstairs to keep a date with her carton of ice cream in the freezer. By the time her laundry was done, she had also watched a sappy romance and eaten half the carton.

"Okay, Kate. Time to get the clothes put away." She started folding and had just finished with her pants when there was a knock at the door. Cautiously, she grabbed her gun and crept to the door. When she saw who it was, she sighed both with relief and resignation.

"What do you want, Gibbs? I'm busy."

"We need to talk, Kate."

She stood aside. "About what?"

"About what's bothering you today."

"I told you. I'm busy."

"With what?"

"Folding my laundry," she said with a straight face.

"Feel free."

"Fine." She walked back to her bedroom and tried not to feel embarrassed that Gibbs followed her. She didn't invite guys into her bedroom...unless they were _very_ good friends. Gibbs didn't qualify.

"What's going on? Something bothering you?"

Kate snapped. "Yes, something is bothering me, Gibbs!" She grabbed a sock and viciously sorted through her clothes until she found its mate. "You...you're bothering me."

"How?"

"Your attitude. Someone is trying to kill you...again...and _again_ you're trying to weasel out of getting protection."

"I can take care of myself. I don't need a nursemaid."

Kate threw down the shirt she'd been folding. "Like you took care of yourself three years ago? When I took a bullet for you?" She glared at him for a moment and then went back to her task. "It's just the same as before. How many times do I have to put _my_ life on the line before you'll take some responsibility?"

"You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, please." Kate grabbed another shirt angrily. "Don't give me that crap. What if _I_ had been shot and killed that day? How would you have felt?" She didn't give him time to answer. "You would have felt responsible for me dying. You would have blamed yourself for not stopping that bullet."

"That's different."

"No, it's not. I would have felt responsible for your death if I hadn't jumped in front of you then. ...but I shouldn't have had to. If you had just taken responsibility for your own safety and worn the stupid vest, I would haven't needed to stop that bullet." She was momentarily embarrassed to see her underwear strewn across the bed, but she was on a roll now and wouldn't stop just because of her unmentionables. "I know it wasn't the vest itself. You've worn those plenty of times when we go out. It's because someone was gunning for you personally. It's because Ari apparently wanted to kill _you_. Suddenly, you have to be all macho and lone wolf and pretend that you're made of steel and bullets just bounce off you. Well, you know what, Gibbs? They don't! Bullets don't bounce off you. They don't bounce off me."

"Anything else?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Kate said in amazement. "You're still standing there, staring at me like I'm speaking a different language. Aren't you afraid? Ari's trying to kill you. He's also threatening to go after me...and Tim...and Tony. I'm scared, Gibbs. Why is it that you can't admit that you're scared, too?"

"What scares you? That he's going after me or that he's going after you?"

Kate laughed incredulously. "Are you really asking me that? I already almost died because Ari wanted to kill you. I don't want to have to face that again."

Gibbs' expression changed. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"Kate." He reached out and grabbed her arm, just as she picked up one of her bras. She blushed.

She kept her face toward the bed. "When Ari was stopped three years ago...he wasn't going after you. He was aiming at me."

As if he'd been burned, Gibbs let go of her. "How do you know?"

"Officer David paid me a visit last night and we had a little heart-to-heart. She told me what she saw up on that rooftop. ...and Ari wasn't trying to kill you. ...at least not at that moment. He was going to kill me."

Gibbs was silent for a moment, but when he spoke again, it was in his usual tone. "And you're blaming me for that?"

"No!" Kate flung down the bra she'd been holding. "No, I'm blaming you for acting like a spoiled child who needs a headslap of his own to get his head out of his rear end! You keep acting like you can ignore this, pretend it's not a problem and it's going to go away! Well, it's not going to go away, Gibbs! Ari is after us. He is after _you_! We will do everything we can to stop him from getting to you...and don't give me that bull about you not needing our help. Don't you see? It doesn't matter whether or not you want us to protect you. We will...because we _want_ you to stay alive. ...so if you really want us to stay safe...try taking a few steps to protect yourself. Wear the stupid vest. Accept the protection Vance is offering. ...and stop pretending that if you step away, you'll make the problem go away or only be on you. You can't do that...because you can't control Ari. No one is controlling Ari. ...probably not even himself."

There was a long pause. Kate followed Gibbs' eyes...down to her bed...and the clothing still lying there.

"And stop looking at my underwear."

"It's hard to miss."

Kate struggled not to smile...but then she sighed. "Gibbs, what Officer David told me last night rattled me. I'll admit that, but you can't keep treating this as an inconvenience. It's too dangerous for that. ...for all of us. If you've got a death wish, fine...but fulfill it on your own time. Don't drag us into it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't say you're sorry. Just do something about it."

"Kate. I'm sorry," Gibbs said. "For back then and for now."

Kate looked at him fully, for about the first time. "I heard you, Gibbs. ...and I meant what I said. Prove that you're sorry by taking some precautions. Then, I'll know that you mean it. Don't make me take another bullet for you. I'll do it if I have to. I would for any one of you...but don't make it necessary."

"I won't."

"Good." Kate looked back at her bed. "Then, you can go and let me finish folding my laundry."

"I can do that."

She didn't look up as Gibbs left, but she listened to him go. It was only once the door closed behind him that she sat down, looking around at what was left to fold. She sighed once more and wished that the whole mess could just go away...even though she knew it wouldn't.

Her phone rang.

"Kate Todd."

"_It's lovely to hear your voice again, Caitlin."_

"Ari."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kate felt a moment of pure terror before she dropped yet another sock back to the bed and moved around her apartment, turning off the lights and closing the curtains. She was shaking but she only kept herself from showing it with effort.

"_How have you been?"_

"Much better before you turned up again," Kate said, saturating her voice with disdain.

"_Ah, Caitlin. Such dreadful manners."_

"You're one to talk about manners, Ari. You're killing people for no reason."

"_Wrong. I have a reason. A very good reason. Just because you have not yet discerned it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."_

"Why are you calling me? Aren't I on your list?"

"_Unfortunately, yes. You have to be, Caitlin. It's the way things are."_

"Forgive me if I'm unsympathetic. Is that all you wanted to say?"

"_You've missed something, Caitlin. It's a problem when warnings go unseen."_

Kate shuddered. The way he spoke. How could she ever have mistaken this monster for a human being with any kindness in him?

"We've been a little busy. What good is a warning that no one sees?"

"_Good question, Caitlin. Perhaps I should try again. ...or perhaps you can find the time to bury another person you failed to protect."_

"Failed to protect? If you think so much of these people, why are you killing them?"

"_Another good point, Caitlin. Take this man, for instance. He thinks he's safe. He closed the blinds, the curtains. There's someone outside, supposedly for his protection, doing an adequate job. He doesn't realize that I can see through the curtains. There are silhouettes...or even just the fact that they're not opaque. I can see him, Caitlin."_

Kate felt her blood run cold. "Who, Ari?"

"_He feels safe right now. Safe hiding from the real world by escaping into virtual reality."_

"No..." Kate didn't know who else it could possibly be. "Not Tim."

"_He has no idea what's about to happen to him, Caitlin...and this time, there's no other shooter to pull him out of my sights. Perhaps you should try to call and say good-bye."_

"No!" Kate shouted and disconnected. She dialed Tim as quickly as she could.

"_Tim speaking."_

"Tim, get down!"

"_What?"_

"Get down! Ari's outside!"

There was a sudden sound of shattering glass and a body falling to the floor.

"Tim!" she screamed. "Tim!"

Tim's voice came over the phone after a few heartstopping seconds.

"_H-He shot the computer...not me. Kate..."_ Tim sounded out of breath, shocked. _"I'm okay. It was just like before. He...he shot the computer."_

Kate heard Tim moving around.

"Turn off your lights, Tim. He may not be gone."

"_R-Right, Kate. H-How did you know?"_

"He told me."

"_Not...a scratch. Just like last time."_

"Stay down, Tim."

Tim laughed weakly. _"Fine by me. I'm...not sure my legs would hold me up."_

There was a banging sound of Tim's door opening.

"_Are you all right?"_ came an unfamiliar voice. _"I heard the window."_

The phone clattered to the ground and Kate heard Tim shout as he stood up and ran.

"_Get down!"_

Another shot. This time, accompanied by a shout of pain.

"Tim!"

No response.

"Tim!" Kate screamed his name but all she heard were unintelligible shouts. They were too far away from the phone for her to tell who was shouting, who was speaking...and who wasn't. It killed her to do it, but she hung up and called Gibbs.

"_Gibbs."_

"Gibbs! Tim's been...he might have been shot. I don't know."

"_Where are you?"_

"I'm at home. Tim was in his apartment."

"_On my way."_ He hung up, not giving Kate time to fret to him or time for anything. She wasn't sure she could conceivably drive in her current state, but she had to know. She had to _see_ that Tim was okay, that he was all right. If Ari had killed him...

Her phone rang.

"Gibbs?" she asked.

"_Not quite, Caitlin."_

Kate swore.

"_Temper, temper."_

"If you killed him, Ari..."

"_I don't know if I did or not, I'm sorry to say...although it doesn't matter particularly. I know I hit him. He was moving too quickly for me to be sure where."_

"I'll kill you, Ari. I'll kill you myself."

Ari laughed. She was spitting mad, and he was laughing at her.

"_Why don't you head on over to the crime scene, Caitlin? And on your way, you can think of this: your final warning was a retired man."_ There was a click. Ari was gone.

Kate didn't waste any more time thinking about him. Instead, she grabbed her purse and ran out the door, all thought of her own safety forgotten.

"Geri!" she said in amazement. She had forgotten about her protection.

"What is it, Kate?"

"We need to get over to Agent McGee's apartment. Now!"

"All right. I'll drive. You can brief me on the way over."

Kate just nodded and got in. Thankfully, Geri was a fast driver...but not as crazy as Gibbs was. She tried to call Tony on the way over but got a busy signal. She hoped that was because Gibbs was calling him...or maybe, just maybe, Tim was calling. ...but if so, he'd call her, wouldn't he? If only to let her know that he was alive?

"Turn there," Kate said, unnecessarily. There were flashing lights. Police cars. ...an ambulance. Gibbs was already there (at least his car was), but she didn't see Tony yet. She barely waited for the car to stop before she jumped out and ran to the police tape which was being stretched across the sidewalk.

"Federal agent," she snapped when they made an attempt to stop her. Nothing would keep her from making sure her teammate and friend was still alive. Nothing.

It wasn't far, but it seemed to take forever for her to get up the stairs to Tim's apartment. There were a number of people in the hallway. Still no Gibbs. Still no Tim. She pushed through them until she reached the open door.

Gibbs was kneeling on the floor, helping an EMT.

There was Tim...bloody...pale...but alive. They had apparently just moved him onto the stretcher and were getting ready to move him out.

"Tim," she said with relief and joined the group on the floor.

Tim was awake, although only barely. He managed a weak smile. "Hey, Kate. Never been...shot before. It kind of sucks."

"Yeah," Kate said, feeling tears in her eyes. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine. It's serious but he's stable and we're getting him out now." The EMT gestured to the other paramedic in the room and they quickly wheeled Tim away.

It took every ounce of strength Kate had _not_ to follow after them. In fact, she took an involuntary step toward the door but Gibbs held her back.

"Kate, he'll be fine. Ari got him, no question, and he's going to be out of commission for a while, but he'll recover."

"Where did he hit him?"

"The side. From behind." Gibbs looked her right in the eye. "How did you know?"

"Ari told me," Kate said. "He called me. Told me where he was, what he was about to do. I tried to warn Tim."

"He called _you_?"

"Yes, Gibbs. He did...just after you left."

"What's going on?" Tony asked, as he rushed in. "I saw the ambulance leaving. McGee? Is he–?"

"He's alive. Shot, but he's alive."

Tony sighed in relief.

"What about my doppelganger? I thought for sure he'd get one of them first."

Kate suddenly remembered what Ari had said to her. "He did."

"How do you know?"

"Ari told me."

"Ari...told..."

Kate rolled her eyes, but it was more a reaction to her shock. "Yes, Ari called me. He talked to me. No, I don't know where he is. I only know that he was here and that I'm going to be the one to put a bullet through his head." She took a deep breath as Tony stared at her with concern. "He told me that we should be looking for a retired man. Tim...can't run that search; so I can do that. I'll go back to NCIS tonight and do that. I'm not going to be sleeping anyway."

"Ari called you?" Tony repeated.

"Yes, Tony! Open your ears!"

"Kate!" Gibbs snapped.

Another deep breath. Kate was letting herself lose control and that wouldn't do. Ari wasn't going to make her lose perspective.

"Sorry, Gibbs. Sorry, Tony."

"You're not going to get anything done tonight. Why don't you go to the hospital and make sure McGee knows he's not dead?"

Kate managed a smile. She heard what Gibbs was really saying: _Go and see for yourself that McGee isn't dead._

"I can do that, Gibbs."

"I'll go and start on the search for my doppelganger," Tony said, sounding shaken. "What about Abby? You know she's going to flip out when she hears what happened to Tim. She hung on him for weeks when Ari took shots at him before."

"I'll tell her," Gibbs said. He paused and looked at Kate. "Don't forget your escort, Tony."

"I wouldn't forget Agent Miller...although she had some trouble keeping up with me as I drove. We'll be perfect chums." He did an elaborate salute and headed for the door, but then he turned back. "Let me know how the Probie is when you get a chance, Kate. 'Kay?"

"Sure, Tony. With or without him knowing that you're worried?"

"I'm not worried! I just don't want to have to go through training another new guy. I heard that one of the Cybercrimes guys has been trying to get out of the sub-basement. McGeek was bad enough. Do you want to deal with that?"

"Of course not." She gave him an understanding smile. He hitched a shoulder uncomfortably and then left.

"Kate?"

"I'm going, Gibbs."

"Wait a minute."

"Yeah?"

"What else did Ari say to you?"

Kate sighed. She didn't want to think about this right now...but her profiling mind had been at work even while the rest of her had been freaked out.

"He's going to kill the rest of us before he goes after you. It's a punishment, Gibbs. I don't know what for, but the way he spoke, the things he said. Ari is punishing you...and he knows what will hurt the most. ...and I think...I think he'll try to take out Tim and Tony before he goes after you."

"What about you?"

"I'm on the list, he said...but I don't know. He didn't really talk like he was going to kill me. Maybe he thinks I'll be impressed? I'm not sure. Ari's always been...different around me. It's how he fooled me in Autopsy. He's different with me than he is with everyone else. ...but if you're thinking I'll be spared, I doubt it. He's going to want to clear the slate. I really don't know what's driving him, specifically. I can only speak in generalities at this point."

"Okay. Thanks."

Kate nodded and turned to go again.

"Kate."

"Yeah?" She looked back over her shoulder and then smiled as Gibbs lifted his jacket just enough that she could see the bulletproof vest he was wearing.

"Thanks, Gibbs."

"Go check on McGee."

Her smile widened in spite of her worry and she walked out of the apartment.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She had to wait for hours before she was allowed in to see Tim, and even then, it was as much because she kept insisting that he might be in danger as because the doctors were inclined to let _anyone_ in to see him.

He was sleeping, restlessly. He'd lost a lot of blood, fractured two ribs and nearly collapsed a lung. At a slightly different angle, the bullet would likely have killed him. Small wonder he was still pale and was showing pain. Pain would be much too normal for him for the next little while.

Kate was sitting beside him, glad that he was alive, regretting his injury.

"He looks very young."

Kate jumped. She'd been on the verge of dozing.

"What?" She looked toward the door.

Ziva came in, walking slowly, speaking softly.

"He looks very young. Too young to be what he is."

"He's an agent and a good one. What are you doing here?"

"I heard the report of what happened. Ari is moving faster than I expected. May I sit?"

Kate wasn't inclined to let her, but she nodded, knowing that her resentment was mostly an extension of her hatred of Ari.

"I spoke with Ari today. I was very close to him, but he escaped."

"Are you sure you're actually trying to catch him?" Kate asked.

Ziva's gaze was unfathomable. "Are you sure you wish to kill him?"

"Yes. After what he's done, I'll have no problem with pulling the trigger."

Ziva looked at Tim, still lying silently in the bed.

"I would not hesitate..."

"...but you would have a problem with it."

"What if it were _your_ brother who had become your enemy? Would you be able to forget that he was your brother?"

Kate thought of her brothers. They irritated her no end...and she loved every one of them, heart and soul.

"No."

"Nor can I. Ari was a good man once. I do not know when he became this...this monster."

"Who's there?"

Kate turned back to Tim. His eyelids fluttered open and then sagged closed again.

"Hey, Tim. It's just Kate."

"'m I okay?"

"You're going to be fine," Kate said, inwardly relieved that she wasn't lying...since she would have said that anyway.

"Who's..." Tim struggled to open his eyes and they briefly focused on Ziva. "You...sent emails?"

"What emails, Agent McGee?" Ziva asked.

"Ari...the..."

"Tim got an email detailing the various aliases Ari uses, his passports."

"No. Those did not come from me." Ziva stood up and began to pace. "I think it must have been Hadar...and if so, then it was on my father's orders. He does not trust me to do what is necessary."

"Your father?"

"He is the director of Mossad."

"And so..."

Ziva stopped pacing and looked back at her. "Yes, Ari is his son."

"He wants us...to find Ari?" Tim asked, slowly becoming more alert.

"Yes. He wants him dead."

Tim slowly sat up. "But...Ari is his son."

"No. Only by blood. Not in spirit."

What Tim said next, Kate was fairly certain he wouldn't have said had he been all there, but he wasn't.

"I don't know. ...if he's trying to get his daughter to kill his son...sounds to me like he's more like Ari than anyone else."

Kate watched as Ziva began to protest and then was silent.

"Kate..." Tim said. "Tony?"

"He's fine. For now. Just rest."

"He's...okay?"

"I promise."

Tim nodded and let his eyes droop closed again.

"I'm sorry, Officer David," Kate said quickly. "It's..."

"Where do you think Ari will go next? I would have thought you would be first. As you were before." The analytical tone was back. Ziva was not letting Tim's comment get to her...at least not outwardly.

"He called me. If you want to find Ari... shadow Tony. If Ari doesn't decide to try and kill Tim off...then I think it will be Tony who's next."

Ziva nodded. "Thank you. I hope he feels better."

"Ziva?"

Ziva stopped and turned back, surprised by Kate's sudden switch to her first name.

"Yes?"

"You shouldn't have to kill your brother."

"My brother would have killed me. I let him get away. It is only right that I stop him this time. ...and I will."

Ziva left before Kate could say anything else. She stared after her for a while.

"Kate?"

"Tim, you're supposed to be asleep."

"You...talk too loud." He smiled and then shifted with a pained expression. "I really am going to be okay?"

"Yes. You're going to be fine."

"Then...do you think Ari's going to come after me again?"

"I don't think so, Tim. I think you're in the clear."

"Why? You seem very sure."

"I was talking to Ari. I think he's going to keep moving around. It's less about killing all of us than it is about Gibbs."

Tim looked down and sighed.

"What, Tim?"

"It's always about Gibbs, isn't it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...we don't get in trouble because of anything _we_ do. It's always because of Gibbs. Why doesn't _he_ have to suffer for what he does? Why is it us?"

"You're lucky I don't dole out headslaps, Tim. This isn't Gibbs' fault. He hasn't done anything wrong in this case."

Tim wouldn't look at her.

"Ari is creating the problem himself. Gibbs didn't do anything to him. It's all in his head."

"Doesn't matter, though, does it."

"Tim. Tim!"

Tim looked at her, seeming both ashamed and angry.

"I don't want this to happen again, Kate. I don't want it to happen to you, to Tony. If he's going after Gibbs...why doesn't he go after _Gibbs_?" Tim winced again.

"Is that what you really want, Tim?"

Tim was quiet for a long time. Kate didn't press him. She waited, knowing that he was dealing with more than just his fear of Ari.

"I just want it to be over, Kate. That's all."

"It'll be over, Tim. Soon enough it will be over. One way or the other."

"I...Kate...I..."

Kate leaned over and kissed Tim on the cheek. "Don't worry, Tim. Just rest. I understand."

She stayed until Tim had really fallen asleep and then she got up.

"It is going to end, Tim. I'm going to end it," she said softly and left the room.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I found him," Tony said...to no one. Lara was asleep at her desk. It was, after all, about four in the morning. Gibbs was probably still at the crime scene, Kate fluttering around Tim...and Tim in the hospital. Tony swallowed. It didn't seem fair that the youngest member of the team should be taken out like that. It was strange because Tim never seemed to get back on track after Ari's first shot at him. He'd simply been a lot more tentative...about pretty much everything. It was a shame because he _had_ been on track to become a crack agent. He wasn't _obviously_ bothered by it, but it came out in the way he interacted with suspects, in the way he investigated. Tony barely had the heart to tease him sometimes.

Now, he'd found the doppelganger Ari probably had killed. A retired Marine by the name of Antoine DiNardo, an naturalized citizen from Italy who had joined the Marines as soon as he was able to and served his country honorably. ...and now he was dead. He understood, now, how Kate and Tim felt, knowing that the name had been the cause of his premature death. He decided to head out there to check the apartment. The police had already gone over it and they'd promised to send over their report, but he wanted to see it for himself. Poor guy hadn't been found right away...because he was alone.

It didn't seem fair.

"Hey, Lara!" he called out.

She jumped up. "I wasn't asleep!"

Tony laughed. "Yeah, right. You were sawing logs. I thought there was a mill opening up over there."

"Ha. Ha. What is it, DiNozzo?"

"I'm heading over to check out my doppel's place."

"You found him?"

"Yeah...retired Marine."

"Ah...that really sucks, Tony. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. You want to come with?"

"Man, I wish you guys would keep normal hours."

"I wish I did, too. Sorry about that. You ready?"

Lara yawned widely."Yeah. I'm ready. Let's go."

They left together.

_Is there really safety in numbers? Or just more danger for others to get hurt?_ Tony wondered.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ari stood in the shadows in the garage, listening to them speak. He smiled. They had found the last warning. Anthony DiNozzo was fair game now. He watched as they walked toward a car and he lifted the rifle to his shoulder...and aimed...


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Antoine DiNardo, huh?" Lara said. "How in the world did he even _find_ these people?"

Tony shrugged. "I guess when you're crazy, you can do whatever you want with your time."

They were almost to the car when Tony stopped. He felt...unsettled.

"Lara?"

"Yeah?"

Tony looked around.

"What is it, Tony?" Lara asked, on alert.

"Something...feels off."

"You want me to drive?"

"Yeah...sure."

Lara's hand went to her gun. "Okay, DiNozzo, if you're letting me drive, then there _must_ be something wrong."

Tony laughed, but he drew his gun as well.

Later on, he'd never be able to explain what it was that he saw. All he knew was that there was _something_ just on the edge of sight that told him he needed to get down. Immediately.

"Lara, hit the pavement!"

Tony dropped to the ground just as a bullet shattered the rear window.

"Which way?" Lara asked.

"North. About 60 degrees!"

From her location beside the rear tire, Lara began searching along the ground for the sign of someone else's presence. Tony knew that if Ari was smart (and he'd shown before he was), he'd be gone already once his first shot had failed. Still, it wouldn't do to take any chances. That was how you got killed.

One more shot took out the tire right above Lara's head. She flinched back, swearing in surprise.

"You okay?" Tony called.

"Yeah...yeah, he wasn't aiming at me."

"Making a point," Tony muttered.

"Yeah."

They heard the sound of footsteps.

"Ari!" came a loud voice.

Moments later, a motorcycle revved up and sped away.

"Ari!"

Two shots. The motorcycle sounds faded. Tony and Lara looked at each other under the car as the footsteps approached them.

_On three,_ Tony mouthed silently.

Lara nodded, drawing herself up quietly into a crouch as Tony held up his fingers.

_One...two..._

"Three!" he shouted and came up, swinging his gun around to confront the person approaching.

"Officer David!" he said in surprise. "Lara...it's okay." He lowered his gun.

"You are both uninjured?" Ziva asked.

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

"Shadowing you. Kate thought that you might be the next target. She was right. I was a little too late. I am sorry. Ari escaped."

"Kate told you that?"

"Yes."

"Nice of her to let _me_ in on that," Tony said, feeling both angry and a bit shaky. He thought he might understand how Tim felt to a small degree. Getting shot at for no reason was frightening.

"She may only have thought of it when I spoke to her at the hospital."

"You went to the hospital?"

"Why are you repeating everything I say?" Ziva asked.

"How was McGee?"

"He was hurt. But he was fine. He will heal." She walked away.

"Hey! Wait!"

"I will not find Ari by standing here speaking with you. He was firing from over here. I wish to see if he left anything behind."

Tony ran after her, leaving Lara to call it in.

"I'll bet he didn't police his brass. He hasn't anywhere else."

"'Police his brass'?" Ziva repeated, her brow furrowing in incomprehension.

"Clean up the shell casings."

"Why does police his brass mean to clean up shell casings?"

"I don't know. It just does. I thought you spoke English."

"I do...but your idioms do not make sense."

Tony laughed, getting some equilibrium back. "Sure they do...you just have to be in on the joke."

They rounded one of the pillars. Two shell casings on the ground.

"He did not police his brass, as you said," Ziva commented, trying out the phrase, although she obviously found it awkward.

Tony grabbed a pair of gloves from his pocket and pulled them on. Then he carefully picked one up. It was still slightly warm.

_The bullet could have killed me,_ he thought and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Lapua .308s. Just like the others. Probably fired from a Kate, too."

"A Kate?" Again a moment of incomprehension, but this time she answered her own question. "A Bravo 51, yes?"

"Yeah."

"He had that gun three years ago."

Tony looked up at her. "Why didn't you think to mention that back then?"

"It was need to know. You did not need to know it." Ziva looked slightly perplexed. "I will leave you to your investigation." She turned to leave.

"Hey! Wait a sec!"

Ziva stopped. "Yes?"

"Why don't you stick around? Help us out?"

"I am not an investigator. I am a killer, Agent DiNozzo," Ziva said. She turned and walked away.

Tony watched after her and then sighed.

"Well?" Lara asked. "Gibbs should be here in a few minutes. What did Miss Mossad want?"

"To catch Ari. Those Mossad people. I don't get them at all."

"What is there to get? They're like the Israeli equivalent of the CIA...only scarier. What do you got there?"

"Not much. We know it's Ari. We've got the Lapuas again. I don't see that there's much else to do here."

"Man. It's supposed to be _easier_ when you know who the criminal is."

"Yeah. Too bad Ari didn't get that memo."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate wasn't sure what she was doing. Could she justify it? Maybe. To herself. A strange thought come to her.

_Ziva would understand._

How did she know this would work? She didn't. What she did know, however, was that she wanted to try and call the shots herself. She could only do that by working within the reality Ari had set up. Ari had determined the boundaries. Fine. There was a lot of space within those boundaries.

Her phone rang.

"Kate."

"_Kate, where are you? Didn't you get the message?"_

"Yeah. I got it, Gibbs. You don't need me there. We know who did it and why."

"_Where are you?"_

Kate hesitated. Would Gibbs understand? Maybe.

"On my way to Norfolk."

"_What? Where's Geri?"_

"Still at the hospital. I gave her the slip...sort of."

"_Sort of?"_

"She probably did see me, but she knew that I was trying not to be seen."

"_Kate. What do you think you're doing?"_

"Drawing Ari."

"_Why do you think you're doing that?"_

Kate laughed. "I'm not sure I could explain it to you, Gibbs. ...but I'm wearing a vest."

"_A vest won't stop a bullet through your skull."_

"He won't kill me until he goes after you."

"_How do you know that?"_

"The way he's been talking. It's about you...but it's also about me. Don't take this the wrong way, Gibbs, but it was about me before it was about you. He wants to kill you, but he doesn't want to kill me."

"_You think he won't?"_

"Oh, I think he'll try...but he won't succeed."

"_Why not?"_

"Because I'm not going to hesitate this time, Gibbs. This time...I'll be able to kill him."

"_Kate!"_

"What?"

"_Don't do anything stupid."_

"Like not wear my vest?"

"_I'm wearing mine."_

"Good. Gibbs, I think I know what I'm doing."

"_You think?"_

"I hope. The best thing to do would be to keep the two of us as far away from each other as possible. If he's gone after Tony, we're all that's left. You know where I'll be. I'm going to hang up now, Gibbs. I have to keep the line free for when he calls me."

"_Kate, are you sure about this?"_

"Remember four years ago? You asked me to profile Ari...the terrorist I couldn't stab. Remember?"

A long silence.

"_I remember."_

"So do I, Gibbs. I'm not making the same mistake this time. Tony's okay?"

"_Shaken but not admitting it. He's fine."_

"Good. See you later, Gibbs."

"_Be careful, Kate."_

"I will." Kate hung up and couldn't help remembering that conversation. She figured Gibbs had been right about Ari wanting to feel alive...but there was more to it. Revenge...but for what? It wasn't the money. That had never felt right, although she figured it probably hadn't hurt. Ari hated someone...but Gibbs was standing in for whoever that person was. Who did Ari hate so much that he was going on a killing spree that could lead to his own death?

...but Ari didn't care about that. The possibility of his own death was exhilarating, not frightening. She drove for another hour and then her phone rang.

"_Hello, Caitlin."_

"Hello, Ari."

"_It was a nice plan, but...why don't you say hello to my comrade?"_

"What comrade?"

Another voice, not the one she'd expected. _"Hello, Kate."_

"Gibbs."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Then, Ari's voice was back.

"_Where are you going, Caitlin?"_

"Take a wild guess, Ari."

"_I don't make guesses."_

"Then, you'll just have to show up and see if you're right. What have you done to Gibbs?"

"_You're so worried about him, Caitlin. He is fine. For now, of course."_

"How did you get him?"

"_Even the vaunted Agent Gibbs makes mistakes, Caitlin. Don't you, Jethro? He thought he had me...when in reality, it was the other way around. I had him. He just didn't know it."_

Kate was surprised that she was able to keep herself so calm when in her mind she was jibbering in terror. Ari was all the more frightening because he sounded so sane.

"_Where are you going, Caitlin?"_

"You never finished the job, Ari. You fell short, as usual. Every time we came in contact with each other, you had to revamp your plans to deal with us. Every time. I guess I can see why you left Mossad. They probably didn't want you there."

There was a long pause, but when Ari began talking again, his voice was almost the same. Almost. There was a tightness to it revealing his anger.

"_You are trying to make me angry, Caitlin. It won't work...nor will whatever you're planning. You can't save Gibbs by driving to...Norfolk."_

She could hear his smile as he hit upon her destination.

"_You're giving me a chance to finish the job. That's very nice of you. No ship to destroy, of course, but Gibbs and you. That will suffice. Thank you, Caitlin."_

Kate hung up and pulled off to the shoulder of the road for a moment, leaning her head on the steering wheel. She hated the sound of her name when he spoke it. She shuddered and then took a deep breath.

"Let's go, Kate. Lots to do."

Putting the car back in gear, Kate eased back into the flow of traffic. Norfolk wasn't far away...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

She hadn't been here in years, not since this whole mess had begun. If she closed her eyes, she could see and feel those chaotic moments, chasing down the terrorists, trying to stop them from killing a ship full of soldiers returning from war along with all their families who had come to see them. That moment when she had come within seconds of losing her life and not even known. Up on the roof. She pulled out her gun and ran quickly to the rooftop, replaying the moments in her mind as she came to the place where it hadn't ended but had begun...the steps leading to this moment. Kate knew, even if the rest of them didn't, that there was no avoiding Ari forever. His three-year disappearance hadn't made any sense to her. She still didn't know why he'd been gone, but she knew that he'd come here. He knew where she was, where she'd be waiting. The sun would be up soon...but for now, it was still the pre-dawn darkness.

Kate walked slowly across the roof to an area with some cover and settled down to wait. Making her mind settle was much more difficult.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ari smiled as he looked over at his unwilling passenger.

"So, Gibbs, have you made a plan about how you will get free and kill me?"

Gibbs didn't even pull on the handcuffs. No indication that he was listening. Ari's smile widened. Gibbs was a worthy opponent...even better, an opponent over whom he would triumph.

"So, you're doing all this for me...or for Kate?" Gibbs asked suddenly.

Ari sighed. "Such a question. Let's wait and ask Caitlin, shall we? I'm sure she'll have something to say."

"Why are we going to Norfolk?"

"Oh, I'm certain the symbolism of it appealed to Caitlin. Besides, she thinks she's _saving_ people by driving so far. How could I make another attempt on poor Agent McGee or Agent DiNozzo if I'm four hours away?"

"Why all the games?"

"You think these are games, Gibbs? You have a strange idea of entertainment."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate heard the car pull to a stop, eerily in the same place as they had stopped four years ago.

_This time, there's no Ari set up as a sniper on the roof. This time...I have the advantage. I know he's here._

"Caitlin! I can see that you're here!"

Kate took a deep breath and committed herself. "Why don't you come a little closer Ari? It's hard to shoot you from that distance!" she shouted.

Ari's laughter echoed up at her. "You are on the roof, then? Just as before?"

"Come and see!"

Kate willed herself not to tremble or show any outward manifestation of her fear. Ari was more frightening because he was an anomaly. She had to bring him back down to reality. He was just a man.

As she waited, she could hear Ari dragging Gibbs with him, up through the warehouse to the roof. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten.

The door opened, the same door the terrorist had come through before, the one she had prevented from shooting Gibbs by taking a bullet for him. Kate knew that she was banking everything on the certainty she had that Ari didn't really want to kill her, and that if he did end up doing so, it would be in a way that would be big and showy. Gibbs would have to be able to see it and dread it. Ari worked in one of two ways. Swift and silent or big and showy. He didn't care which so long as one worked. Both got him his thrill.

Gibbs was thrown forward and somersaulted down the slope of the roof, hands cuffed behind his back, dried blood caked to the side of his face. Kate stayed back behind the pillar.

"Caitlin. I know you're here."

One more deep breath to maintain a semblance of calm and Kate stepped out into view, gun up, aiming at him. His gun was pointed at her. He smiled...that cold reptilian smile. Kate refused to get sucked into his eyes again. She didn't want to see if there remained any of the kindness she had seen before.

"Why are you doing this, Ari? What's the point?"

"Oh, Caitlin, don't tell me you haven't figured it out."

"Gibbs, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Kate."

Kate spared a single glance for him. He didn't look great, but he did look fine. For now.

"Good." She looked back at Ari. "Do you know what I do for a living, Ari? I'm a profiler. I've profiled you...probably as much as you've studied me."

Neither of them moved.

"This isn't really about Gibbs, is it. I don't know who it is you want dead, but it's not Gibbs. Not Gibbs himself."

Ari didn't reply.

"Why are you doing this?"

"To make him suffer," Ari said, his voice as calm and cold as ever. "To cause him pain."

"What did he do to you? You zeroed in on him before there was any reason for you to."

Ari pulled out a second gun and aimed it at Gibbs, but when he spoke it was to Kate.

"He reminds me of my father...the man who was so focused, so determined to reach his goal that he fathered a child with a Palestinian woman, a woman he never loved...a woman he allowed to be killed in a raid on the refugee camp where we lived. He wanted me to be his mole, his inside man." Ari laughed and looked at Gibbs again. "And all that time, he never once realized how much I hated him and how much I wanted to see Israel destroyed just to ruin him."

"You're attacking Gibbs because you're so powerless that you can't fight your father," Kate said, saturating her tone with disgust.

"No, Caitlin!" Ari's retorted, his voice sharp. "No, you have it wrong! You think that I have confused Gibbs with my father? I know he's not my father. He is _like_ my father and therefore he deserves to die...but first he has to suffer the loss of those he cares about, those whose deaths will cause him to feel pain. He has to sit there and see you die, knowing that there is nothing he can do to stop your death. He has to feel that pain."

Kate almost lowered the gun as understanding came to her. It took every ounce of determination she had to remember that Ari was far beyond redemption.

"...pain that _you _can't feel? Pain you've closed away, locked away so that all you have left is hate? You _want _to feel the pain you're trying to force on Gibbs, the pain you wish on your father. ...but you can't. You've spent your whole life wanting revenge and that's all you have. That's why you haven't tried to kill your father. You know that if you do it...you know that there won't be anything left. It's all you are."

Kate shook her head...and the gun lowered just slightly.

"I pity you."

For a moment, for one brief moment, she locked eyes with Ari the way she had the first time they'd met. She saw the same expression in them that she had before, the kindness...the way he _could_ have been and it did make her feel pity.

Then, the eyes hardened, the kindness gone as if it had never been, replaced by the perpetual leer and the hatred that governed his life. Both guns swung around toward her. Even as she saw it coming, Kate knew what he was doing. Ari was getting rid of the evidence of what she had said, the evidence of what his life had become. She had to die because she _knew_ who he was. She raised her own gun back up to fire. She wasn't sure she would be fast enough...

...but Ari never had a chance to pull the trigger...and neither did Kate. Suddenly, he jerked backward and fell to the rooftop, a hole right in the center of his forehead.

For just a moment, Kate stared in shock and then she whirled around, ready to confront whoever was there. Slowly, from the shadows, just as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, Ziva stepped out, gun in hand...expression...devastated.

"Ziva..."

"Once he had tried to kill Agent DiNozzo...I knew he would come after you," she said softly.

"I didn't want you to kill him. You shouldn't have had to," Kate said.

"I did not...want to kill him." Ziva's voice had very little inflection in it, but she never looked away from Ari, from the blood pooling beneath his head.

"I'm sorry, Ziva."

"It would have been worse for you to have died. The Ari I knew...he was dead a long time ago. Perhaps he never existed at all."

Kate reholstered her gun and reached out, but Ziva just shook her head once in rejection of the comfort Kate offered. Instead, Kate hurried over to Gibbs and removed the cuffs.

"Protection detail is over, Kate," Gibbs said as he sat up. "No more taking bullets for me."

Kate smiled. "I would have done it, even if it meant me lying there instead of Ari." She held out a hand and helped Gibbs up, then turned back to Ziva who had knelt beside Ari in silence.

"Gibbs, you call it in?" she asked, holding out her phone.

"Sure."

Kate walked slowly toward Ziva and Ari. Seeing him lying there, dead...it was a relief, nothing more. She felt none of the satisfaction she had expected. It was simple, devout relief that it was over now. With Ari, it would never have been over until one of them had been killed. She knelt beside Ziva, offering whatever Ziva would take.

"Would you have killed him?" Ziva asked, her voice soft. One hand wiped away betraying tears.

"Yes. I would have."

"How would you have felt?"

Kate stared at Ari's sightless eyes and for a second, she saw herself there in his place. She saw her own lifeless body staring up toward heaven. Then, she blinked and dismissed the image, the same one that had haunted her dreams. It hadn't happened.

"Relieved...like I do now."

Ziva sniffed and wiped away another tear.

"He was my brother," she said softly. That was all.

Now, Kate reached out and touched her shoulder. Nothing more.

"He was my brother."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ziva hung around only as long as she had to and then vanished. She had said that she'd make arrangements for Ari's body to be taken back to Israel. That was all.

Kate sat beside Gibbs as they waited for the team from Norfolk to arrive...and for Tony to get there. They didn't speak as they waited, preferring to sit in silence with occasional covert glances at Ari's body.

"We should make sure he's transferred to Headquarters before being released to Mossad," Kate said finally.

"Why?"

"So that McGee can see that he's dead, so that we all really know that it's over."

"That really necessary?"

"For Tim? Absolutely. I know you've noticed how difficult it's been for him. He's never really been able to get past it. ...and you know that he partially blamed you for it."

Gibbs nodded, looking away from Ari and toward the sun now rising higher in the sky.

"He probably had a right to."

"A right? Yes. Was his blame misplaced? Yes. None of this was _your_ fault, Gibbs. Ari's mind was made up."

"I never said it was."

Kate smiled. "You didn't have to. If I had died, you would have blamed yourself. If Tim had, you would have blamed yourself. That's the way people are. You're still human...even if you _are_ Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

No response, but Kate knew that, even if only vaguely, Gibbs felt somewhat responsible for what had happened. It was a natural emotion in the circumstances.

"Ari is her brother?"

"Yes. Half. Same father."

"The Director of Mossad ordered his daughter to kill his son?"

"Sounds like it."

Gibbs didn't respond, but there was an obvious unspoken question: _I'm not like that, am I?_

"You'd never have gone that far, Gibbs."

Again, the noisy silence. Kate sat quietly beside him, choosing not to speak anymore. They sat side by side until Tony arrived about an hour later. He climbed up to the roof and looked at Ari's body. The Norfolk team had finally got there half an hour earlier and were processing the scene.

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Gibbs said.

"Which one of you got him?"

"Neither," Kate answered.

"Then, who did?"

"Ziva."

"Ziva? ...you mean, Officer David?"

Kate nodded. "Is Ducky coming?"

Tony nodded. "I did call him. He said he'd get here. I think he said something about driving himself just so that Jimmy didn't get them lost. You sure you want to take him back to DC? Couldn't they deal with him here?"

Kate gave Gibbs a sideways glance. He nodded slightly to her.

"He's going to DC until we can get in contact with Mossad."

"You're the boss."

Tony played up being lighthearted, but it was impossible. Ari lying dead on the rooftop meant less than any of them had anticipated. He was dead...and so were three other people. Tim was still in the hospital. Tony didn't know about Ziva's connection with Ari, but perhaps he caught the mood from Gibbs and Kate and had the sense not to mention anything more about Ziva.

Ducky arrived an hour later, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What took you so long?" Tony asked.

Jimmy grinned. "He got lost."

"You were not giving me very good directions, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said.

"You were driving, Dr. Mallard."

"Impudent," Ducky said and then stopped talking when he got a look at Ari. The sun was now high in the sky, luckily it wasn't too hot. Ducky stared at the corpse for a long moment and nodded in satisfaction. He and Jimmy conducted their work in silence.

"We're taking him back to DC?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Mr. Palmer, if you please."

Finally..._finally_, Ari's body was taken from their sight as Ducky and Jimmy placed him in the bodybag in preparation for transportation. Kate let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She started a little as Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's over now, Kate."

"Finally."

"Are you sure you're happy about that?"

"Happy?" Kate looked at the bloodstained rooftop. She shook her head. "No. No, I'm not happy. I glad it's over, but this ending? Even if it was the only way...I'm not happy about it."

"Neither am I."

Tony looked at them. "So...am I going back alone? With one of you? What?"

"I have my car," Kate said. "And you're not supposed to be driving, Gibbs. Paramedics said so when you wouldn't go with them."

Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Me or Tony, Gibbs. You're not driving."

The three of them stared at each other...and somehow managed to communicate what was going to happen without speaking.

"I'll go start the car," Tony said. "I'll be waiting for you, Boss."

"Kate?"

"I'll be all right, Gibbs. Will you?"

"Ari's dead," Gibbs said and then walked away.

Kate smiled slightly. Typical non-answer. She took a deep breath and looked up at the sun. Ari was dead. Maybe now she could sleep without the nightmares. One more breath and she walked down from the roof.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate didn't get back to her apartment until late that night. There had been debriefings, reports...a visit to Tim in the hospital. He had been shocked by the sudden turn of events, but Kate hoped that after he'd had time to process it, Ari's death would help him move beyond the past. She herself was tired. It had been hours since she'd slept. All she wanted now was to go to bed, wake up in the morning and have Ari's death still be the reality.

Someone came up from behind her. Instantly, Kate was on the alert and whirled around, her gun out.

"Do not shoot, Agent Todd."

"Ziva."

"Yes."

Kate looked at Ziva, thought longingly of her bed and then smiled. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, thank you."

Kate opened the door and stood aside. She didn't ask why Ziva was there. Instead, she led the young officer to her apartment.

"Would you like some tea? I'd offer something stronger but I have to work tomorrow. I don't need the buzz right now."

"No, thank you. I am fine."

Kate nodded and gestured for Ziva to sit.

"What brings you here again, Ziva?"

"May I speak with you?"

"Of course."

"What Ari said...about my father."

Kate nodded.

"Do you think it was true?"

"I...I don't know."

"I did not ask if you knew," Ziva said, leaning forward, her expression for once open and earnest. "You could not know. I asked if you _thought _it was true."

Kate could see it. Ziva wanted it _not_ to be true, but she was afraid that it was. How would it be to feel that one's own father was capable of such actions?

"He's your father."

Ziva waved that away. "Yes."

"Ari believed it, Ziva. Whether that means it's true or something that he dreamed up, I don't know. I don't think I could even guess. I don't know your father. I don't know anything about him."

"You know something. I remember what Agent McGee said. Do you agree?"

"Yes," Kate said honestly. "I can't imagine that a father would do that to either of his children, but yours did."

Ziva nodded and looked down. "We...all of us...we were raised to be in Mossad. We were raised to become defenders of Israel. That is what my father cares about. That is also what I care about. I love Israel and would die for it in a moment."

"I feel the same way about my country."

"And yet you do not have...this...in your life."

"I didn't grow up in Israel. The U.S. is a different nation, both in its history and in its location. It makes a difference."

"It does not mean that..." Ziva stopped.

"Ziva?"

"Yes, Agent Todd."

"First of all, you can call me Kate."

Ziva almost smiled.

"Second of all...if you ever need a place stay around here...you can always drop by. Make yourself at home. We... _I_ owe you my life. You sacrificed something much deeper to save me, to save Gibbs. I can't thank you enough for that."

Ziva didn't respond but her head dropped, her bushy curly hair hiding her face from view.

"I guess you'll be going back to Israel with...Ari, but..."

"He will not be going back," Ziva interrupted.

"What?"

"Mossad...my father...he does not want to bring Ari back to Israel. He wishes to make his existence something of a shameful past, best forgotten. I have spoken with him. When he is officially informed...he will ask that Ari be buried here. He does not care if he is given any Jewish rites."

"And you?"

"I..." Ziva stood up quickly and faced away. "I do not know what I want. Ari died a traitor...to everyone but himself...and perhaps even to himself. ...but he also was my brother."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am to return to Israel," Ziva said.

"...and you don't want to go?"

"It is my home. All that remains of my family is there."

Kate smiled sympathetically at the non-answer...rather reminiscent of Gibbs in that respect.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. I must go soon."

"If you ever make it back to DC, feel free to drop in."

Ziva turned back, her expression inscrutable. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you welcome me back?"

"Why not?" Kate asked, not sure how else to respond. It wasn't that Ziva was a friend...but there was a connection, perhaps forged by Ziva's sacrifice.

Ziva just nodded and then walked to the door. She stopped just before turning the knob.

"Thank you...Kate."

"You're welcome, Ziva."

Then, she left without another word. Kate sat down on her couch for a long time. Then, she sighed and, not bothering to get up again, pulled an afghan over her and curled up where she was.

She was asleep in seconds.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Five days later..._

"Do you really think this is necessary, Kate?" Tim asked. He was standing at the entrance to Autopsy. "I mean...you told me Ari is dead. I don't think you're lying. ...and I know the doctors weren't exactly happy with me leaving the hospital already."

Kate smiled.

"You need to. Believe me. Or better yet, ask Ducky. He's more qualified."

"He's a forensic psychologist."

"Yes, but he certainly knows more than I do about it."

"He's not here. You are."

Kate stepped forward so that the doors opened. "Come on, Tim."

Tim followed reluctantly. They crossed to the bank of drawers and Kate pulled open drawer 107. Ari's body was covered with a sheet. They still hadn't determined what was to be done with him. After all, Israel didn't want him...and neither did the U.S. He was an embarrassment to both nations.

Tim reached out hesitantly, stopped and then pulled the sheet back from Ari's face. He was dead.

"The first time he showed up...he came in a bodybag, pretending to be dead," Tim said softly, staring at him.

"He's not pretending now."

Tim smiled a little. "I think if he had planned on pretending, he seriously miscalculated. He's been in the freezer."

Kate laughed and then put a quick hand on Tim's arm when the door behind him opened again and he jumped...and then winced.

"Sorry, Probie," Tony said walking up behind. "Just wanted to check on the Ari-sicle and make sure he was still frozen." He looked at Ari. "Yep, still frozen."

Tim laughed a little and then tensed briefly as Tony put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'll bet you were afraid to come down here."

"No, he wasn't," Kate said.

"Liar. See?" Tony pointed. "Even Ari knows you're lying...and he's dead!"

Tim nodded. "I was scared."

"Of what?"

"That it was all a mistake and he wasn't really dead."

"And?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at Kate who nodded at his methods.

"And he's dead. He's really dead."

"How do you feel about that?" Kate asked.

"Am I supposed to feel something?" Tim asked, looking at Kate and then at Tony. "I'm not sure I do right now."

"As long as you don't get it into your head that somehow Ari is still alive, Probie. I'm not going to let you bug me about telling you happy stories in the middle of the night anymore."

Tim smiled weakly. "Okay. I won't call you up and tell you I had bad dreams, Tony."

"Hey, McGee...you're a part of the team. You know that, right?"

"I hope so...otherwise, I've been coming to the wrong desk for years," Tim said, staring at Ari again.

"I mean it. You have problems...you can come to us. ...Kate would probably be better. She's more sympathetic and nicer than I am, but really. You are."

"I've been surprised you all haven't just given up. I know I haven't been performing up to standards."

Kate shook her head instantly. "Gibbs would have gotten rid of you if you hadn't been, Tim. You know that."

"Not if he felt guilty."

"Even then."

"You think this will help?"

"Yes," Kate said. "Maybe not right away, but I think it will."

Kate reached out to pull the sheet over Ari's face again. Tim grabbed the other side and Tony pulled on the middle. The three of them covered him up and then pushed him back in, closing drawer 107 and leaving him behind.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vance shifted in his chair. Even after a year, he was still finding this an uncomfortable space to fill. Director Morrow had been well-respected. He'd been around so long that everyone accepted his views. Vance was finding that there were places where he was still viewed with suspicion. ...deserved suspicion with his background, but still, it wasn't a great situation. Hopefully, he'd be given the time necessary to forge the kind of connections necessary to get by in this world. His family had finally settled into the new life they led, and he didn't want to have to uproot them again.

His phone rang, interrupting his introspection.

"Yes?"

"_Director Vance, Deputy Director Shephard is here to see you."_

That was odd. Jenny didn't make the trek out here very often. He had suspected she had wanted this chair herself.

"Send her in."

The door opened a few seconds later, revealing Jenny herself. She looked thinner than he remembered, but he didn't ask.

"Director Vance, it's nice to see you," she said.

"Likewise. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you." Jenny sat at the table rather than in the chair in front of his desk. Vance smiled at her choice and walked around to join her.

"What can I do for the Deputy Director, today?"

"I have a suggestion to make."

"A suggestion?"

"Yes."

"About what?"

"I think we need to strengthen our ties to some of our international counterparts."

Vance sat back and looked at her suspiciously. "In what way? And which counterparts? I'm assuming you already know that much."

Jenny smiled. "I would _suggest_ that we might do well to strengthen our ties with Mossad, in Israel. You are already acquainted with Director Eli David, are you not?"

"I am," Vance said shortly and waited for her to elaborate.

"I am suggesting that we create a position for a Mossad officer to come and be our official liaison with Mossad."

"Do you think our current level of interaction warrants such a position? That's rather unorthodox...and seems unnecessary considering how rarely our paths cross." Vance was beginning to suspect an ulterior motive, but he wasn't going to give her the easy out. Jenny would have to explain herself first.

"One of our responsibilities is to fight terrorism. Israel is often the focal point of such terrorist acts."

"Some might describe Mossad itself as a borderline terrorist organization."

"Would you?"

"I said _some_."

Jenny hesitated and then added a bit of information. "I already have someone in mind who would work well in the position."

"Who?"

"Officer Ziva David."

"Eli's daughter."

"Yes."

"And a friend of _yours_ if I'm not mistaken."

"Guilty as charged."

"Why are you doing this? Really, Jenny. Come right out and say it because I'm not going to bat for you if I don't know the real reason."

"Ziva needs to get away from Israel."

"Why?"

"She's...been confronted with some possibilities that have rattled her, things related to her family, particularly her father. She needs to get away from that environment and see what life can be like beyond undercover missions and betrayal."

"She told you that?"

"No. I surmised it from speaking with her."

Vance looked at Jenny over steepled fingers.

"Leon, she's someone who could be lost to the world if all she ever knows is what Mossad offers. Not everyone in Mossad is like her. She was _raised_ to do this. She's known little else."

"By putting her in the position of liaison, you could be putting her in the position of serving two masters. If it comes to having to choose, which would win her allegiance?"

"Israel and the U.S. are allies."

"Don't give me the political crap, Jenny. What you're asking is going to be hard to pull off. Saying that we're allies doesn't blind _anyone_ to the fact that we don't have the same point of view on many issues of policy. Israel is a much stricter country than we are when it comes to dealing with terrorism. They live with it every day. They don't have the luxury we do of treating suspected terrorists with kid gloves."

"I'd hardly call it kid gloves, Director. Now who's using political crap?"

"You watch a Mossad interrogation and then come talk to me again."

Jenny sighed. "Leon...in a few months, I'm going to have to resign my position and I'm not going to be able to do anything for her."

"Resign? Why?"

"I...I have a terminal disease. I've known for years but it's degenerative and it's begun to accelerate. I've tried everything, but..." She shook her head. "Right now, I'm about the only real friend Ziva has outside Mossad. I don't want to be the last one she ever had...and she doesn't want to end up like Ari Haswari."

"And neither do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Where would she work?"

"It makes most sense for her to be based here."

"In what capacity?"

"She could work with one of the teams, the MCRT would make the most sense."

"Except that the MCRT is already at full capacity. They don't need a fifth member. Heck, they were working well before McGee joined them, although they certainly benefitted from having a computer expert on the team. What would Officer David bring? She's not even a trained investigator."

"That could be easily remedied."

"And in what capacity would she work?" he asked again.

"She doesn't have to be permanently assigned to them. She could do genuine liaison work and when needed, she could join up with the teams with space. If Abby Sciuto got bogged down in her work, Agent McGee could stay and help her while Ziva went out with the team."

"McGee is a field agent, Jenny. He's not Abby's assistant."

"I'm just offering up possibilities, Leon. I'm trying to give her a chance."

Vance stared at Jenny in silence, digesting both her request and her sudden confession. He knew that getting permission to do this would be hard, finding a space for her possibly harder. He also knew that he would have to take Ziva's current predicament on faith because that was hardly something he could ask her father about.

"Leon?"

Vance sighed. "Let me think about it. I'll let you know."

Jenny smiled. "That's all I ask."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Two weeks later..._

"Agent Gibbs, Agent Todd, Agent DiNozzo, Agent McGee, please come to my office," Vance requested.

"Is something wrong?" Gibbs asked as the MCRT followed him up the stairs. "I didn't think I'd done anything to bug you in a few days at least."

There was no response until they were all in the room.

Vance smiled. "Nothing is particularly _wrong_. I just wanted to inform you that after some lengthy back-and-forth between Washington and Israel, it's been decided that Ari Haswari's remains will be interred here. Someone from the Israeli embassy has footed the bill and he'll be buried tomorrow, finally clearing out that drawer in Autopsy."

"Will he be cremated, Director?" Kate asked.

Vance looked at her curiously, although his voice showed nothing. "I believe it was stipulated that he _not_ be cremated, Agent Todd."

"When?" Tim asked.

"Tomorrow morning, relatively early. Nine, I believe."

Tim nodded.

"Is that everything, Director?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. For now."

"Thank you."

They all trooped out of the office and back down to the bullpen.

"Boss?" Tim asked hesitantly...but meeting Gibbs' gaze as he hadn't in ages. He was on light desk duty following his injury, but was at least back at work.

"McGee?"

"I...want to go."

"Where?"

"To the...the burial. Tomorrow. There's not much I'm doing here. If you'll let me, I'll come in late."

Gibbs looked at him and wasn't sure why Tim wanted it...but it was clear that he _did_.

"All right, McGee."

"Thanks, Boss."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

There was someone standing beside the grave when Tim arrived. She was alone besides the workers, holding a shovel in her hand. He wondered when she had arrived, how she knew...unless it was she who had paid for this. Tim watched as she took three shovelsful of dirt and poured them into the open grave. Then, she put the shovel back into the mound of dirt and stood back. Tim came up beside her.

"May I?" he asked softly.

She jumped and turned to him.

"You," she whispered. "Why?"

"May I?" Tim repeated.

"Yes."

Tim stepped forward and added to the dirt covering the coffin. He turned around and was surprised to see Kate and Tony and Gibbs all walking across the grass toward the grave. All were silent. Tim touched Ziva on the arm and then pointed behind her.

She turned and then watched in silent surprise as first Kate, then Tony, then Gibbs, added their own shovelsful to the grave. Then, after standing silently for a few seconds, they all walked away, leaving Tim and Ziva alone by the grave once more. They stayed until the grave was filled.

Ziva turned to Tim who was staring at the grave.

"Why would you all do this? Was he not your enemy?"

Tim nodded.

"He tried to kill you...more than once."

Tim nodded again.

"Then, why, Agent McGee?"

"I don't know why they did it. I know why I did."

"Tell me."

"Because it's what I had to do...to...to let him go. And...I saw him dead. When he was dead...he wasn't a monster in the closet anymore. He was just a man. He must have...have been a human being once. Right?"

"Yes. He was."

"That's why...why I had to come. I didn't know you would be here."

Ziva smiled. "I did not know I would be either."

Tim looked at her. "And yet here you are."

"Not for long. I am leaving tonight."

"Officer David?"

"Yes, Agent McGee?"

Tim put out his hand. "It's been a pleasure."

Ziva smiled. "Has it? My half brother shot you and tried to killed the rest of your team. How is that a pleasure?"

"Well...I got to meet you. That was a pleasure."

He held his hand out still. Ziva stared at his hand and then shook it.

"Thank you, Agent McGee."

Then, Ziva walked away.

Tim watched her go and then headed back to work. There was always more work to do.


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Six months later..._

She sat watching as they came in, one at a time. Tony was first. He came in mumbling to himself about how it was way too early for work, that Mondays should start later than this. She suppressed a smile.

"So...is this how federal agents really function? They did not say that at FLETC."

Tony turned around, stared at her for a while. "What are you doing at Kate's desk, Officer David?"

"Waiting."

"For what?"

"For people to get here. What time does the work day begin? Even at FLETC we got up to run at 0600 ...to say nothing of the fact that Mossad begins the day at 0500. It is now 0700."

"That's about when the work day begins. Unfortunately. Why are you at Kate's desk?"

"Waiting. As I said."

The elevator doors opened again. Tim walked in.

"Ziva! What are you doing here?"

"That's what _I_ asked her. She said she's waiting."

"So I am."

"For what?" Tim asked.

"You are looking well, Agent McGee."

Tim smiled. "Thank you. You...You're not looking so bad yourself."

Ziva grinned as Tim began to blush a little.

"Why are you sitting at Kate's desk?" Tony asked again.

The elevator doors on the opposite end of the bullpen opened.

"Because I said she could, Tony," Kate answered.

"Officer David!"

Ziva stood and looked up to the balcony. Vance and Gibbs were standing, looking over the edge.

"Yes, sir."

"Come on up. We're ready for you."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you for your desk, Agent Todd."

"You're welcome, Ziva."

Ziva headed up the stairs, knowing the Tony and Tim were staring at her, wondering what was going on. She also knew that Kate was probably wondering the same thing but her questions were much more polite and less laced with grumbling.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I received word that you passed your FLETC course?" Vance asked.

"Yes, Director."

"Do you think that makes you an expert?" Gibbs asked.

"No, Agent Gibbs. I think it means that I have leapt through your hoops."

Vance suppressed a smile. "You have done that. I hope you understand why it was necessary. If you're going to be working here, you need to have the same qualifications as the regular field agents do."

"I understand, Director."

"Understand also that this is a probationary position. We're going to see just how it works out...if at all."

"You mean that you might send me back?" Ziva asked, her voice neutral.

"If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'm not going to force it...and neither should you. If it does work, it will without you pushing at it. Understand?"

"Yes, Director."

"Good. Agent Gibbs has been brought up to speed. Agent Lovitz and the relevant members of Intel and Legal will also be informed of your position. We're not going to give it two days and say that's it. At the least, we'll try it for a year. That should give everyone time to fit you in and for you to figure out how things work here."

"Thank you, Director."

"You'll be working with the MCRT for the next few weeks. If Lovitz is shorthanded, then you'll go with him. Don't expect things to be exciting from the get go."

Ziva looked over at Gibbs. "Do you not have anything to say?"

"Why are you here?"

"To do my job, Agent Gibbs."

"And?"

"To learn."

"Then, there's nothing for me to say. Next time we go out, you'll be with us."

Ziva smiled. "Thank you, Agent Gibbs."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate smirked to herself as Tony and Tim wondered aloud what Ziva was doing, why she was there. She didn't have a clue herself, but with Gibbs involved, she figured they'd find out sooner or later.

Gibbs came striding in, followed by Ziva.

"You can set up over there. That desk is empty," he said gruffly. Then, he grabbed his coffee and walked away.

"Set up?"

"Over there?"

"Why?"

"I am the new Mossaid Liaison Officer. I will be working with you and with the others here at NCIS."

Tim looked at her with surprise and Tony's expression was decidedly noncommittal.

"Why you?"

"I guess they decided I would be a good...fit."

"Well...welcome to NCIS," Tim said, smiling.

"Yeah...sure. Welcome."

Kate didn't say anything but she smiled as Ziva tentatively allowed herself to be welcomed.

Abby came up later and was enthusiastic...overly enthusiastic as usual. Kate laughed along with Tony and Tim when Ziva stiffened in shock as Abby hugged her. When the first call came in, they all headed out, Ziva feeling her way along, but doing so competently enough. Ducky and Jimmy were also both welcoming as they shook hands at the crime scene.

Kate noticed that Ziva didn't entirely trust such an outpouring of welcome from so many strangers and near-strangers. Gibbs was his usual gruff and taciturn self, but Kate noticed that he was restraining himself a little bit in disciplining the new team member.

All in all...Kate thought that Ziva was going to fit in well with the disparate members of NCIS. She had her share of problems...but so did they all.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The knock on the door came late in the evening. Kate was settled on her couch, watching an old sappy movie. She got up.

"DiNozzo, if you have somehow figured out where I live, I'll kill you," she muttered and looked through her peephole. What she saw surprised her...and then she smiled and opened the door.

"Ziva. What a surprise."

There was a duffle bag on the floor and one over her shoulder. She looked a bit uncomfortable.

"You said that I could...drop by."

Kate nodded. "Of course."

"I do not yet have an apartment, although I must find one soon. My furniture is on its way from Tel Aviv."

Kate stood aside and picked up the duffle bag. "Come in. All I have is the couch, but you're welcome to it until you find a place."

"Thank you...Kate."

"You're welcome. You know, Tim got his apartment out in Silver Spring. It would mean a small commute, but it would probably be cheaper than trying to find a place in DC itself. He might know some places to look."

"I will ask him. Was I interrupting?"

"Only my nightly movie. Don't tell Tony. I have him fooled into thinking I have an active nightlife."

Ziva sat down on the couch and stared at the television.

"I went to his grave."

Kate waited.

"He was still dead."

"That's good. I haven't gone back, myself."

"Perhaps that is best."

"Ziva...sometimes you can't help but look back."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"And how do you...stop...from getting lost in the past?"

"By knowing that I got the best revenge there was."

"What?"

Kate smiled. "I survived. Living is the best revenge against someone who wanted you dead."

Then, she settled back and they watched the rest of the movie.

_Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.  
__C. S. Lewis _

FINIS!


End file.
